Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: NASCAR All-Star Challenge Open – May 20, 2006
Venue: Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the NASCAR All-Star Challenge Open … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 132 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, which was run last season at Atlanta, Bristol and Dover.
Stat Facts …
o In his 13 full seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series, Burton has been in the NASCAR All-Star Challenge nine times, posting his best finish of fourth in 1998. He has two top-five and four top-10 finishes in the NASCAR All-Star event.
o Burton won the 2003 Open, claiming the final transfer position for The All-Star event where he went on to finish ninth.
Gaining positions … Burton’s ninth-place finish at Darlington, his fourth top-five finish in five races, has moved the 17-time Cup Series winner up to 10th in the 2006 championship point standings. At this point last year Burton sat 18th in points and was 29th in points after 11 races in 2004.
Guest Column … Burton will write a daily column throughout the Charlotte race weeks. The South Boston, Va., native will discuss his daily activities, as well as those of his Cingular racing team as they prepare for and compete in the NASCAR All-Star Challenge Open and the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.
NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge … The Team Cingular Pit Crew will participate in the NASCAR Pit Crew Challenge Wednesday, May 17 at 7 p.m. at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. All teams eligible for the NASCAR All-Star Challenge are eligible to compete, along with four others who gained entry by their points standings following last weekend’s race at Darlington. Seating is general admission and tickets are available online at www.pitcrewchallenge.com, or by calling 1-800-495-2295. Tickets are $10 each.
Three All-Star Wins for RCR … RCR has won three NEXTEL All-Star Challenges (formerly The Winston). Dale Earnhardt won the event in 1987, which included the legendary “Pass in the Grass.” Earnhardt also went on to claim the checkered flag in 1990 and 1993.
Muscle Team … Burton will join other Charlotte athletes and celebrities at the Muscle Team® 2006 charity event at the Charlotte Coliseum Wednesday, May 17. Muscle Team® 2006, presented by CITGO Petroleum Corporation, pairs top Charlotte athletes with an MDA buddy (a local child living with a neuromuscular disease) and allows participants to mingle with the coaches, athletes, MDA buddies, celebrities and top business executives. Others participating include Carolina Panthers head coach John Fox and players Jake Delhomme, Mike Minter and Mike Rucker, players from the Charlotte Bobcats and Sting and Charlotte 49er’s head coach Bobby Lutz. Other NASCAR drivers include John Andretti and Kerry Earnhardt.
Up to Speed … Live coverage of the NASCAR All-Star Challenge Open and the NASCAR All-Star Challenge begins Saturday, May 20 at 7 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FX. The race will be covered live on the Motor Racing Network and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying is scheduled for Friday, March 19 at 6:10 p.m. EDT and will be aired live on SPEED and MRN.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Is there a different mentality entering the All-Star race since it’s not a points race?
“I think it is but I also think it’s important to note that this year, with the small fuel cell NASCAR has mandated for Charlotte, the All-Star race will be more like the race when we come back the next weekend for the Coca-Cola 600. That’s because the number of laps you will run in the All-Star race are going to be closer to the runs in the 600 and we haven’t had that before. I think it’s going to be much more advantageous as a test than we’ve ever had before.
“Really your mentality has to do a lot with where you are with your car count at the shop. Do you feel like you have a bunch of good cars? Do you feel like if you lose a good car in the All-Star race is it going to be detrimental to you? If you feel like it is then you have to race accordingly because it is a big race but you can’t give away a really good car in a non-points race that you may need for a points race. To be honest, the money is great but I have yet to run a race wondering how much money I was going to win. I’ve always wondered what the trophy was going to look like. If you get caught up in all money with the All-Star race, trying to do that can end up costing you much more than it will ever earn you.”
The All-Star race is usually a little crazier than a normal points race. What is the most bizarre thing that has happened to you in the All-Star race?
“I think the craziest thing that ever happened is one year they dropped the green flag it started raining and when we drove down into turn one half of us wrecked. NASCAR let us get out the backup cars and they restarted the race. That’s probably one of the strangest things that I’ve been part of in this sport. The officials came down and told us to take out our backup and send it through inspection. We couldn’t believe it. I was actually changing into my street clothes and my crew chief came up in the lounge and told me to get my driver’s suit back on – I thought he was crazy!”
