JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What are your feelings about Texas getting a second race date?
“Well, first of all, it’s not for me to decide. My opinion about second dates is that NASCAR ultimately needs to make those decisions based on demographics, on the number people who are attending and based on the number of people who watch it on television. If Texas was one of those places that has good TV ratings and good attendance and their quality of racing is good, then we ought to be there twice. Whether it’s Texas or anywhere else, that’s what I think. I have a major problem with people on the outside, and I think track operators are on the outside, trying to make decisions on where we need to be running. Because I think that ultimately NASCAR has the responsibility and has shown the ability to make the decision to grow the sport. I think that when you have race track shareholders or ticket holders trying to make that decision, they have ulterior motives and I don’t think that’s good for our sport. Having said all of that …I think Texas deserves a second date. If we are going to go to a track for a second time, Texas is a place you certainly a place where you can look at and say they deserve a second race.”

Has the racing opened up and gotten better at Texas?
“Well, from the first time we went there it’s gotten a whole lot better. We’ve had this love-hate relationship with Texas. The first time we went there the track was not very good. We all complained about it and they printed T-shirts that said ‘Shut Up and Drive’. That probably wasn’t in their best interest. Then, going into next season, we have almost every race track that is going to run the impound procedure and Texas raises their hand and says their not going to do it. So, it’s kind of like a lot of complaints come out of that one racetrack. Maybe it’s time that they just play well with others. But, it is a fun racetrack and a beautiful facility. I think it’s the nicest facility we go to as far as grandstands, condos and suites. All of that stuff they have is awesome. The quality of racing has certainly improved as the track has gotten older.”

Team Cingular recently had good finishes at both Charlotte and Atlanta Motor Speedway which seem the same as Texas, are they for the drivers?
“They are completely different. I know there is a lot of talk about the mile-and-a-half “cookie cutter” race tracks, but they are totally different. Texas probably has the most grip of the three, although Atlanta does have a lot of grip as well, but the way you drive the track and the setups for each track are completely different.”