Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Samsung 500 - Jeff Burton Notes

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Prilosec OTC Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Samsung 500 – April 15, 2007
Venue: Texas Motor Speedway – Ft. Worth, Texas

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car Texas Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 155 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is the same Cingular Wireless Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Burton raced earlier this season at California (started eighth, finished fourth), Las Vegas (started fifth, finished 15th) and Atlanta (started 32nd, finished fourth).

Burton in the Loop …

Stat Facts … In 11 starts at Texas Motor Speedway (TMS), Burton boasts one win, one top-five and three top-10 finishes.

Speed Demon … Burton has posted four top-five and five top-10 finishes so far this season and has yet to finish a race outside the top-15. Additionally, the South Boston, Va., native is one of only three drivers who have completed every lap so far this season. He has also completed 83.9% of the total laps (1,719 of 2,048 laps) running in the top-15.

Now that’s Quality … Strong performances by Team Cingular in the first six races definitely show as Burton continues to lead all drivers in the Quality Passes category. Burton has passed 451 cars while running the top-15 under green-flag conditions, 84 more passes than second-place Carl Edwards.

Inaugural Winner … Jeff Burton won the inaugural NASCAR Cup Series race held at Texas Motor Speedway on April 6, 1997, capturing his first NASCAR Cup Series win.

Induction Ceremony … Burton will receive the Texas Motorsports Sportsmanship Award at the annual Texas Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony on Wednesday, April 11. The South Boston, Va., native was voted in by a select panel of motorsports journalists throughout Texas. Fellow inductees that night include Roger Penske, Tony Stewart and Eddie Hill.

Change of Scenery … Prilosec OTC’s major associate sponsorship of RCR’s No. 31 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS kicks into high gear this weekend in Texas as Burton and the No. 31 team transform their bright orange No. 31 Cingular Chevrolet into a purple Prilosec OTC racing machine for the Samsung 500. Prilosec OTC, marketed exclusively by Procter & Gamble, is available in food, drug, mass, and club stores in the U.S. Prilosec OTC is available over-the-counter for the treatment of frequent heartburn, with one pill taken every day for 14 days and is the No. 1 selling over-the-counter heartburn medication.

Make it Four … Scott Wimmer will attempt to make his 2007 NEXTEL Cup debut this weekend at TMS behind the wheel of the No. 33 Holiday Inn Monte Carlo SS, giving RCR four entries in the Samsung 500.

Double Duty … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 31 Cingular Chevrolet, Burton, a 24-time race winner in the NASCAR Busch Series, will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the O’Reilly 300 Saturday, April 14. The race will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT).

One Trophy Missing From the Shelf … In 31 races at TMS, dating back to 1997, team owner Richard Childress has yet to take home the winner’s trophy. Over that span, the Welcome, N.C.-based operation has earned three top-five and nine top-10 finishes with drivers Dale Earnhardt, Kevin Harvick, Jeff Burton, Bowyer and Jeff Green. However, Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, earned a pair of top 10s while he was still behind the wheel at Texas World Speedway in College Station.

R07 for RCR … RCR will utilize Chevy’s new R07 motor this weekend when Wimmer hits the track with the No. 33 Chevy on Friday afternoon. Per NASCAR regulations, the R07 displaces a maximum of 358 cubic inches. In contrast to the SB2’s “mirror port” cylinder heads, the R07’s cylinder heads resemble production LS-series small-block cylinder heads with alternating intake and exhaust valves. While production small-block V-8 engines employ electronic fuel injection, the R07 port layout is optimized for the single four-barrel carburetor mandated by NASCAR. The R07’s key technical advances over the SB2 include 4.500-inch cylinder bore centers (vs. 4.400 inches in the SB2), a raised camshaft that improves valvetrain dynamics, a new six-bolt head bolt pattern that reduces cylinder bore distortion, and a targeted cooling system that minimizes temperatures at critical locations. A cast camshaft tunnel, integral piston squirter galleries, and overhead oil feed galleries reduce engine assembly time. Relocating the fuel pump to the inboard side of the car and eliminating external oil and coolant lines enhance safety. RCR was the first team in the NEXTEL Cup ranks to exercise Chevrolet’s new engine combination when Wimmer attempted to qualify for the Kobalt Tools 500 last month at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Dear Diary … Throughout the Samsung 500 race weekend at Texas Motor Speedway, Burton will be a guest columnist for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The inaugural winner at TMS will discuss his day-to-day activities from the track as he competes in both the Busch and Cup Series events and attempts to return to Victory Lane. His column can be read in the motorsports section at www.startelegram.com.

Ridin’ the Lightning to the Lone Star State – Grand Prize Winner will be Honorary Pit Crew Member … Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime Sweepstakes winner Jim Farina continues his ultimate NASCAR Fan’s season at the Samsung 500 this weekend where the No. 31 car will feature the Prilosec OTC lightning paint scheme. This will be Jim’s eighth race of his 20 race schedule with RCR’s No. 31 Cup team, and will be a race that he will not soon forget. This weekend Jim will truly become part of the No. 31 team as an honorary pit crew member. Jim will dawn his very own Prilosec OTC pit crew uniform and firesuit as he takes a spot in the pits with the rest of the No. 31 crew.

Up to Speed … The Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway will be televised live Sunday, April 15 beginning at 1:30 p.m. EDT on FOX and broadcast live on the Performance Racing Network (PRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the seventh of 36 NASCAR Cup Series events will take the green flag at 5 p.m. EDT Friday, April 13 and will broadcast live on SPEED, PRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What is Team Cingular doing to prepare for the Texas race and will the bump on the track have an effect on the competition?
“I believe they've done some work on the center of (turns) one and two to try to get rid of the big bump that was there. That will have little impact on the quality of race in my opinion. We have been really happy with our mile-and-a-half and two mile program so far this year. At the same token, Texas is a place where we didn't qualify or run very well at last year. So Texas, for whatever reason, has been a little bit of a challenge for us. I don't know why but we haven't run as well there as we need to. Obviously, we take one race at a time but we're really looking at Texas pretty hard because we need to be able to perform better there and it's been a struggle for us."

What are the key elements to winning at Texas Motor Speedway?
“I won the first one and ran really well in the first few races there and then I really had a lull. The lull was because that type of race track was just not the type of track we could do well on for awhile. Corner speed is the key element to winning at Texas. The place is really fast and it’s fast because the corners generate a lot of speed. Having a fast car and good track position is real important. It’s hard to pass there. The winner is the driver who can get through the corner the best.”