Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet
Event/Date: UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 – March 11, 2007
Venue: Las Vegas Motor Speedway – Las Vegas
NOTES:
This Week’s Race Car at Las Vegas Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 155 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. Most recently, Burton raced this car to a fourth place finish at California Speedway. Additionally, this is the car that competed in 2005 at the fall race in California (started 16th, finished 35th) and Kansas (started 40th, finished 28th).
Testing, testing … Burton and Team Cingular tested at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Jan. 29-30 in preparation for the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 as part of NASCAR’s Preseason test session.
Back-to-Back … Burton won the 1999 and 2000 Cup races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In nine NASCAR Cup starts at the speedway, he has claimed three top-five and six top-10 finishes. In addition, the South Boston, Va., native has posted one pole, two wins, four top-five and five top-10 finishes in six Busch Series starts at the track.
Double Duty … In addition to racing the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race, Burton will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the Sam’s Town 300 NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 10. This weekend’s race is the second of 18 that Burton is scheduled to drive the Holiday Inn Chevrolet. The race can be seen live on ABC beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and also broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.
RCR in the Loop … All three RCR drivers are in the top six in the NASCAR Cup point standings - Jeff Burton (second), Harvick (fourth) and Clint Bowyer (sixth). Additionally, they are in the top eight in the Driver Rating standings, a formula that combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum points a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. Burton (114.7, second), Harvick (104.7, third) and Bowyer (93.4 eighth) have all started the season in strong fashion.
Vegas Odds … According to Vegasinsider.com Burton has a 12:1 chance to win the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400. Additionally, the 18-time NASCAR Cup Series winner has an 18:1 chance of winning the NASCAR Cup championship.
Up to Speed … The UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 can be seen live on FOX Sunday, March 11 beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and can be heard live on PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying is set for Friday, March 9 at 6 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live on SPEED, PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Las Vegas Motor Speedway has been reconfigured and is a much different track than it was a year ago. What are your thoughts on the newly configured track which includes steeper banking in the corners?
“I’m not a fan of changing a racetrack. In Vegas’ case, you had a good racetrack that produced fairly good races and they are trying to make it where it produces great races by putting more banking into it. There’s no evidence of putting more banking into a corner where it makes for better racing. I’m not convinced that they have done the right thing but it is what it is and we have to find a way to make it work.”
Last year you produced a top-10 finish at Las Vegas. Being that you tested here during the off-season, how do you feel about where your team is coming into this race?
“When we went to Vegas last year to test, we brought our engineers and R&D techs with us and we knew we were in the ballgame. This year, Vegas is a great unknown because the track is different, it’s a new configuration and we’re in a different ballgame now. Hopefully, we can go out there and adapt quickly, learn as quickly as we can and be competitive.”
Given the fact that it’s a newly reconfigured track, how important is it to run the Busch Series race Saturday? Will the extra seat time prepare you for Sunday’s race?
“I think it’s exceptionally important. We spent a lot of time looking at the Busch Series schedule this year. We thought about which tracks we should compete in and how positively it will impact our Cup program. Running the Busch Series race is always beneficial at Vegas and I think it’s the right thing to do.”
