Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

Aaron's 499 - Jeff Burton Notes

Jeff Burton
No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Aaron’s 499 – April 29, 2007
Venue: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

NOTES:

This Week’s Race Car at Talladega Superspeedway … Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 186 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, a new race car for the 2007 season that Burton tested at Daytona in January as part of Preseason Thunder.

Burton in the Loop at Talladega …

Stat Facts … In 26 Cup starts at Talladega, Burton boasts two top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.

Leading the Way … Burton has posted five top-five and six top-10 finishes so far this season and has yet to finish a race outside the top-15. Additionally, the 19-time NASCAR Cup Series race winner is one of only three drivers who have completed every lap so far this season. He has also completed 84.1% of the total laps (2,266 of 2,694 laps) running in the top-15.

Better than Average … Burton ranks third behind Jeff Gordon (8.002) and Jimmie Johnson (9.055) in the Average Running Position category. His average running position of 9.559 is the sum of his positions on each lap divided by the laps run in the race.

Now that’s Quality … Strong performances by Team Cingular in the first eight races definitely show as Burton continues to lead all drivers in the Quality Passes category. Burton has passed 489 cars while running the top-15 under green-flag conditions, 66 more passes than second-place Carl Edwards.

Restrictor Plate Success … Burton has competed in 53 NASCAR Cup Series races on restrictor place tracks (Daytona and Talladega), completing 92.2 percent of the laps. He has also collected one win (2000 Pepsi 400), one pole (2006 Daytona 500), eight top-five and 18 top-10 finishes. Additionally, the South Boston, Va., native has led 146 laps and has and average finishing spot of 17.43.

Guest Speaker … On behalf of Cingular Wireless, Burton is scheduled to speak at Shelby County High School in Columbiana, Ala. on Thursday, April 26 regarding Cingular’s “Be Sensible” safe driving program. The South Boston, Va., native will speak to 650 students and answer questions regarding safe driving.

RCR at Talladega … Richard Childress competed as a driver in Talladega’s inaugural race in 1969 and used his winnings from that race weekend to help start RCR. Fittingly, he now holds the record as the car owner with the most success at the storied Alabama track, with nine victories to his organization’s credit, all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, in 99 starts, RCR boasts four poles, 28 top-five, 43 top-10 finishes and nearly $6 million in earnings.

Sweet Home Talladega – Fan’s Victory of a Lifetime Hits the Superspeedway … Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime Sweepstakes winner Jim Farina continues his ultimate NASCAR Fan’s season this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway’s Aaron’s 499. This will be Jim’s 10th race and mark the halfway point of his 20-race schedule with RCR’s No. 31 Cup team. Jim truly experienced a Victory of a Lifetime as an honorary pit crew member at Texas Motor Speedway’s Samsung 500 when Jeff Burton pulled out a dramatic win on the final lap. We’ll see if Jim can serve as a good luck charm this weekend as the No. 31 team shoots for their second win of the young 2007 season. Accompanying Jim this weekend will be his brother Brian and nephew Brian Jr.

Catch the Action … The Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live Sunday, April 29 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on FOX and broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the ninth of 36 NASCAR Cup Series events will take the green flag at 11 a.m. EDT Saturday, April 28 and will be telecast live on SPEED.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What is it like racing at Talladega Superspeedway?
“I’m always nervous to run at Talladega. You have to go into that race thinking that there is going to be a multi-car incident and how am I going to miss it. To me, it’s a stressful Sunday morning and once the race gets going, I calm down. But as the laps start winding down, the intensity level just goes through the roof. It’s unbelievable how you can feel it there more than any other race track. At every other race track, if you’re racing for the lead you might be racing with maybe two or three other guys. At Talladega, you’re contending with 30. When the intensity level increases for 30 people versus three, it changes the way you race.”

What do you remember most about last year’s race at Talladega when you finished fourth?
“I remember thinking ‘let’s get out of here, we finished fourth.’ Honestly, if you can leave Daytona or Talladega with a top-10 finish, you need to leave there happy. There are a lot of people who will get caught up in accidents and finish poorly. It’s one of those races where you have to be at the right place at the right time. It’s a difficult race.”

Is there a difference between Daytona and Talladega now that Talladega has been paved?
“There’s a huge difference. Both tracks were always different but there is a bigger difference now as Talladega has been repaved and Daytona continues to age. Last year, after the track was paved, the cars handled well, you couldn’t make the cars drive poorly. With the new pavement, in some ways, it’s made it easier to drive and in some ways has made it harder. At the end of the day, it really hasn’t changed a whole lot. It has changed some, because handling is no concern at all, but it wasn’t a big concern before. New pavement is a great thing for smoothness. Typically, new pavement is bad for racing. At Talladega, it’s a totally different deal because you run wide open. I think it has improved the race track.”