Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Coca-Cola 600 – May 28, 2006
Venue: Lowe’s Motor Speedway – Concord, N.C.
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car Lowe’s Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 173 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, a new car for the 2006 season which was tested at Lowe’s Motor Speedway May 2-3.
Two-timer … Team Cingular driver Jeff Burton has claimed the checkered flag twice in the Coca-Cola 600. His first victory in NASCAR’s longest event came in 1999 by edging out Bobby Labonte by .547-seconds, and in 2001 he finished ahead of current Richard Childress Racing teammate Kevin Harvick to claim his second victory at the track.
Stat Facts … In 24 starts at LMS, Burton boasts two wins, five top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Both of the victories at LMS for the South Boston, Va., native came in the Coca-Cola 600.
Double Duty … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 31 Cingular Chevrolet at LMS, Burton, a 21-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will make his second start in RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the Carquest Auto Parts 300 Saturday, May 27. The race will air live on FX beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
Work it out … Following the completion of the 2005 NASCAR Cup Series season, Team Cingular driver Jeff Burton hired a new trainer and recommitted himself to an intense workout program. On Wednesday, May 24, Sports Illustrated will join Burton at his work out to photograph a feature for their magazine.
Testing One, Two, Three, Testing … Burton and Team Cingular tested at LMS Tuesday, May 2 and Wednesday, May 3
Meet the Driver … Burton will sign autographs Wednesday, May 24 from 4-6 p.m. at the grand opening for the Cingular Wireless store located at the Commons near Northlake Mall in Charlotte, N.C.
TV Time … Burton will make a guest appearance on Trackside Friday, May 26 at 7 p.m. The popular racing program will take place on the Coke Stage at Speed Street in Uptown Charlotte and shown live SPEED. Following his appearance on Trackside Burton will remain at the race festival with Coca-Cola for an 8 p.m. question and answer session on the Coke stage.
Up to Speed … The Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, May 28 beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 12th of 36 NASCAR Cup Series events will take the green flag at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, May 25 and will be telecast live on SPEED.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
How is the track with the newly paved surface at Lowe’s Motor Speedway?
“It’s certainly different. It’s not the same old Lowe’s Motor Speedway. It’s quite a bit different than it was before. I think the biggest difference we are feeling is too is the tire. The tire is extremely hard. Goodyear decided to bring a tire which is ultra safe to make sure we didn’t have any problems. It’s probably a harder tire and a stiffer tire than we really need but I give them credit for coming here with a tire they feel very good about the fact that it can live and not cause any problems. When you come to a track like this that potentially has a tremendous amount of grip and the surface is new, I think that is the right thing to do.
“I think the transitions are a little weird. Going into turn one you kind of go up a hill going into the turn and coming off of turn four there is kind of like a big hole at the exit. But, I think that once the track gets older a little slick the turn four deal will certainly become an issue. Right now I think the chance for multiple grooves is there so that’s a good thing. In all honesty, time will tell. I think the biggest thing we’re fighting today is the tires. Since they are so hard and conservative they don’t feel very good.”
How do the cars perform in the corner with this new tire?
“If you get the thought out of your head that this is new pavement with a lot of grip, then it’s alright. If you drive into the corner thinking it’s new pavement and the grip is going to be there for you, then it’s not going to be okay. If you kind of forget those things and go out and worry about how your car is driving instead of how it could be driving, it’s fine. When we go to tracks with new asphalt, the grip level is exceptionally high. This track isn’t that way but it’s because of the tire. If we didn’t have this tire it would definitely have a tremendous amount of grip. Without the grip, it’s easier to spin here. If you are running on the loose side it’s really easy to spin because the rear tires just don’t have enough grip. Right now, you are better off being tight.”
Was the smaller fuel cell at Lowe’s Motor Speedway the right decision for NASCAR to make?
“They were really being extra careful. In all honesty, with this tire we probably don’t need the smaller fuel cell. If you are going to err, err on the side of caution and I think that is what NASCAR has done. Goodyear has come with an extremely conservative tire and NASCAR has come with a conservative fuel cell. Those decisions will put us on pit road more often and make us put tires on more often if you put tires on. The question now becomes will you put tires on or will you just take gas only.”
