Ward Burton 2007 Event Preview
No. 4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Race 1 of 36 – Daytona 500
Daytona International Speedway
State Water Heaters Racing Notes of Interest:
Driver: Ward Burton
Ward Burton won the Daytona 500 in 2002
Burton will be attempting to qualify for his 360th NASCAR Nextel Cup start at Daytona International Speedway (DIS) on Feb. 18, 2006
The 2007 Daytona 500 marks the first time Burton will be behind the wheel of the No. 4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS for Morgan-McClure Motorsports
Burton will be attempting his first Dayton 500 race since 2004
He will be attempting to start in his 11th Daytona 500 NASCAR Cup event at DIS. His career-best start at the 2.5-mile superspeedway is 2nd (July 2001) and his best finish was 1st (Feb. 2002)
Burton has led a total of 58 laps in Cup competition in the Daytona 500. His average start at Daytona is 19th and average finish is 20th
Burton will have to race his way in to the Daytona 500 during the Gatorade Duel 150’s on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2007, as Morgan-McClure Motorsports finished 39th in championship points in the 2006 season.
Burton has competed in two races in the Busch Series at DIS and had a best start of 6th and a best finish of 3rd.
Morgan-McClure Motorsports Racing
Morgan-McClure Motorsports marks its 25th year of participation in NASCAR’s elite Nextel Cup Division in 2007. There are only three active teams who have been in the sport longer than Morgan-McClure.
The Morgan-McClure No. 4 car won the Daytona 500 three times: in 1991 with driver Ernie Irvan and has back to back victories in 1994 and 1995 with driver Sterling Marlin
Combining both DIS races (Feb. and July), Morgan-McClure Motorsports has started 46 races, visited victory lane a total of five times, won one pole, had a total of 10 Top-5 finishes and 15 Top-10 finishes
At DIS, Morgan-McClure Motorsports’ best start was on the pole in 1993 with driver Ernie Irvan
The 2007 Daytona 500 will mark the 24th time the Morgan-McClure No. 4 car has competed in NASCAR’s biggest event
Morgan-McClure Ride
Chassis No.: Primary: 89 Back-Up: 85
Morgan-McClure Motorsports tested chassis 89 at DIS in January 2007 during the NASCAR Nextel Cup test. Both chassis 89 and 85 were tested at DPG in January of 2007.
Ward on preparation for Daytona…
“Daytona is a place where I have a lot of fond memories - some dreams came true in the Daytona events. It’s a place that dreams can be seen and made to come true.
I’m excited about being back in the sport. I think the format with the top 35 being locked in the race and only about seven available spots will put a huge amount of pressure on us as well as other teams.
We certainly would like to have some more time to be prepared. I believe Morgan-McClure has done a lot in these last few weeks to get prepared, so hopefully, all the hard work will pay off. Certainly they have been successful there and so have I in the past. I’m not sure the past has much to do with helping us today. We certainly know how to do it.
We are looking forward to getting down there and working hard. The chips are going to fall where they are going to fall. I guarantee we will be working hard and making a gallant effort and, hopefully, that effort will pay off so we will still be there Friday afternoon with our State Water Heaters Chevrolet.
I’m looking forward to seeing the race fans and doing all the things it’s so fun to do and being involved with the sport.”
2006 No. 4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Team Roster:
Driver: Ward Burton
Owner: Larry McClure
Crew Chief: Chris Carrier
Car Chief: Steve Gray
Chief Mechanic: Jim Mazza
Engine Builder: Ron Puryear
Engine Tuner: Mark Nickels
Engineer: Brad Whaley
Shock Engineer: Damian Albrecht
Over-The-Wall Crew Members
Front Tire Changer: Nathaniel Lane
Jackman: Aaron Eaton
Front Tire Carrier: Brian Hennings
Gas Man: Mark Nickels
Rear Tire Changer: Mitch Gibson
Catch Can: Jim Mazza
Rear Tire Carrier: Bobby Lord
2nd Gas Man: Robbie Holt
Pit Support Crew Members
Electronics: Zeke Lester
Mechanic: Chris Messick
Public Relations: Diane Hawkins
Scorer: Scott Glasco
Shock Specialist: Damian Albrecht
Spotter: Rusty Webb
Tire Specialist: Charles Moles
Transporter Driver: Dan Donnelly
Tune in to State Water Heaters Racing:
Gatorade Duel: Thursday, Feb. 15
Television: SPEED at 2:00p.m. ET
Radio: MRN & Sirius Satellite Radio at 2:00p.m. ET
Daytona 500: Sunday, Feb. 18
Television: FOX at 1:00p.m. ET
Radio: MRN & XM Satellite Radio at 1p.m. ET
Come Meet Ward!
Ward will be signing autographs at the State Water Heaters Merchandise Trailer during the weekend. Check the trailer for dates and times
Ward will be on stage at Daytona USA on Wednesday, February 14 at 11:00am for the Speedweeks Fan Forum Q&A
Ward will be a featured guest on MRN Radio on February 14 at 8:20pm
