Ward Burton 2007 Event Preview
No. 4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
Race 18 of 36 – Pepsi 400 (160 laps/400 miles)
Daytona International Speedway (DIS)
State Water Heaters Racing Notes of Interest:
Driver: Ward Burton
Ward Burton will be attempting to qualify for his 368th NASCAR Nextel Cup start when the green flag drops at Daytona Int’l. Speedway on July 7, 2007
He will be attempting to start in his 22nd NASCAR Nextel Cup event at Daytona
His career-best start at the 2.5-mile superspeedway is 2nd (July 2001) and his best finish is a WIN (Daytona 500, 2002)
In his last race at DIS in the summer of 2004, Burton started 8th and finished 40th
Burton’s average start is 19th and average finish is 20th
Burton will have to qualify on time for the Pepsi 400, as Morgan-McClure Motorsports is 43rd in championship owner’s points in the 2007 season.
Morgan-McClure Motorsports Racing (MMM)
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.
MMM has Five WINS (3 Daytona 500’s with two back-to-back, Feb 1994, 1995 and July 1996 – Sterling Marlin, Feb.1991 and July 1992, - Ernie Irvan), 10 top 5’s and 15 top 10’s in 46 starts at Daytona Int’l. Speedway
MMM has started in the Top Ten 17 times and has one pole in 1993 with Ernie Irvan in the July race
Morgan-McClure Motorsports has an average start of 26th and their average finish is 26th
State Water Heaters “Hot Water” Ride
Chassis No.: Primary: 89 Back-Up: 85
Chassis 89 was used at Daytona for the 500 where it was wrecked in the Dual 150 qualifying race. It had qualified 30th in the first round qualifying for the Daytona 500 this year.
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.
Chassis 85 has not been used in competition in the 2007 season
Ward on returning to Daytona …
“I’ve got a win at Daytona in the 500 so this place is special to me. I think we are going to participate in some Daytona 500 50th anniversary activities for the track and then it will be down to business for me and my guys. Our biggest race is on Friday and we are hoping the weather will hold out and we will get a good draw to qualify our State Water Heaters Chevy for the Pepsi 400. Being an impound race we probably won’t get any drafting practice but we ran this car here in February so we know what it will do in the pack. Morgan-McClure and I have both had success here in the past and we believe we can have it again.”
