Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: Dodge Avenger 500 – May 12, 2007
Venue: Darlington (S.C.) Raceway
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Darlington Raceway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 191 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Built new for the 2007 season, this is the same Cingular Chevrolet Impala SS Burton drove to a second-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway (started 29th) and a sixth-place finish at Martinsville Speedway (started 19th).
450 for Burton … Jeff Burton is set to reach another career milestone when he takes the green flag at Saturday’s Dodge Avenger 400 at Darlington Raceway for his 450th start in NASCAR’s premier series. In his 15th year of NASCAR Cups Series competition, Burton has captured 19 victories, including his first at Texas Motor Speedway’s inaugural event in 1997, back-to-back wins at Darlington Raceway in 1999, two Coca-Cola 600 wins at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 1999 and 2001, and under the lights at Daytona International Speedway in 2000. So far this season, the South Boston, Va., native has earned one win (becoming the first repeat winner at Texas Motor Speedway), five top-five and six top-10 finishes, in an effort to clinch his second berth in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup.
Stat Facts … In 24 Cup starts at Darlington Raceway, Burton has posted two wins, eight top-five and 13 top-10 finishes, with only one DNF (engine) and only two finishes outside the top 20.
Rain Man - Back-to-Back winner … Burton won both races at Darlington Raceway in 1999, leading both events as rain began to fall which forced NASCAR to throw the checkered flag prior to the scheduled distance.
Double Duty … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet, Burton, a 24-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the May 11 Diamond Hill Plywood 250. The race will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and can also be heard on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
One for Mom … In celebration of Mother’s Day, Meredith Bowman, mother of Team Cingular driver Jeff Burton, will join other drivers’ mothers as honorary grand marshals for the Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway. She will be escorted across the pre-race stage by her son at driver introductions then join the group of moms to give the starting command of “Sons and Gentleman, start your engines.”
Up Close and Personal … The No. 31 Cingular Wireless team will be one of five teams featured this weekend on DirecTV’s NASCAR HotPass. With a channel dedicated solely to Team Cingular during the running of the Dodge Avenger 500, fans will be able to watch all the action through DirecTV’s multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry and listen to in-car audio communication.
Testing, Testing … Jeff Burton will test the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Impala SS May 14-15 at Dover International Speedway. This is the sixth of seven tests allowed under NASCAR’s 2007 testing policy. The remaining test available to teams in NASCAR’s top division will be conducted at Talladega Superspeedway (Sept. 10-11).
RCR at Darlington … Richard Childress is tied for third all time with Holman-Moody and the Wood Brothers for car owner victories at Darlington with eight - all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, Childress boasts 21 top-five and 30 top-10 finishes at the egg-shaped South Carolina oval with three different drivers including Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Burton and Robby Gordon.
Up to Speed …The Dodge Avenger 500 at Darlington Raceway will be televised live Saturday, May 12 beginning at 7 p.m. EDT on FOX and be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 11th of 36 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series events will air live on SPEED Friday, May 11 at 3 p.m. EDT and will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Darlington is the first race track where the Car of Tomorrow (COT) will be introduced to higher speeds and banking. What are your thoughts about running this weekend’s race with the COT?
“There are a lot of things that make Darlington a very difficult race to compete in and if you take a car that has low grip to begin, then you’ve got your hands full. That’s going to be a long 500-mile race. The way the Car of Tomorrow drives and the way Darlington is, you better be on your game as it’s definitely going to be a challenge.”
You’ve ran well at Darlington in the past. What are your expectations for this race?
“Darlington is one of those places where if I don’t win, I’m pretty disappointed. Their trophy is the most valuable trophy we race for all year. When we go there, I want to contend for the win. There was a time for about six years when we led so many laps and found a way to win a couple of races. I had dominant cars and that’s what I expect. More and more people have been able to run well at Darlington than in the past so the competition is that much greater. We just need to find a way to make our car better.”
Why do consider Darlington one of your favorite race tracks on the circuit?
“Darlington is the most historic track we go to. It’s also the oldest track we go to. It is entrenched in the history of the sport more so than most places and it has remained that way. They haven’t gone in and tried to make the race track better and put in million dollar suites. When you show up, it’s like stepping back in time and I think that is really cool.”
