JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Lowe’s Motor Speedway officials again had changes made to the surface of the track using lasers to grind the bumps. There were accidents during testing at the track, so is the new surface cause for concern?
“I think there is a huge question mark. The speeds are way up and they are going to be way up for sure. I’m not sure how their effort to make a multi-groove track is going to work out. Only time will tell. I do think that rubber on the race track is going to make a huge difference. When we started running there during the test the track surface was very dirty. The Auto Fair had been there the week before so, I think that had a lot to do with the problems and the wrecks. We did see some tire problems because the track was so much faster than people had anticipated. We’ll see what happens.”

The decision to ‘levigate’ the surface of the track has caused some controversy among the drivers. What is your opinion?
“It is not perfect by any means, but Gosh, I just wished they never changed it. I mean, I think that in an effort to help it, we’ve haven’t helped it. The race track was good the way it was. I just don’t think they should have changed anything. Humpy (Wheeler) is trying to do the right thing and I give him a tremendous amount of credit for trying to make it better but, in this case, I think he tried a little too hard.”

So, will all this controversy go away once the green flag drops?
“Without a doubt, the racing will be good and competitive. No matter what the race track is, no matter what they do to the surface or if people like it or not, it’s still going to be a good race. That’s just how it is.”