Ward Burton 2007 Event Preview
No. 4 State Water Heaters Chevrolet Impala SS
Race 9 of 36 – Aaron’s 499 (188 laps/500 miles)
Talladega Superspeedway
State Water Heaters Racing Notes of Interest:
Driver: Ward Burton
Ward Burton will be attempting to qualify for his 363rd NASCAR Nextel Cup start when the green flag drops at Talladega Superspeedway on April 29, 2007
In his last outing at Talladega in the fall of 2004, Burton started 28th and finished 10th
He will be attempting to start in his 20th NASCAR Nextel Cup event at Talladega Superspeedway.
His career-best start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway is 5th (Spring 2002) and his best finish is 4th (Fall 1999)
Burton’s average start is 23rd and average finish is 21st
Burton will have to qualify on time for the Aaron’s 499, as Morgan-McClure Motorsports is 42nd 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 four wins at NASCAR’s longest track (Sterling Marlin - Fall 1995 & Spring 1996 and Ernie Irvan - Fall 1992 & Spring 1993)
MMM has three poles (Sterling Marlin – Fall 1995, Ernie Irvan – Spring 1991 & 1992), 10 top fives and 16 top 10’s at Talladega Superspeedway
Morgan-McClure Motorsports has started 48 races at Talladega Superspeedway. Their average start is 20th and average finish is 20th
State Water Heaters “Hot Water” Ride
Chassis No.: Primary: 85 Back-Up: 89
Chassis 85 has not been used in competition in 2007
Morgan-McClure Motorsports tested chassis 89 at Daytona International Speedway in January 2007 during the NASCAR Nextel Cup test and ran 89 in the Dual 150 at Daytona in February 2007.
Both chassis 89 and 85 were tested at DPG in January of 2007.
Ward on returning to Phoenix …
“Talladega has an atmosphere similar to Daytona. We have a new car for Talladega and hopefully all the team’s hard work will pay off and we will get a good lap in qualifying so we will be there to race on Sunday. Being an impound race, we will be forced to start the race in a qualifying setup. I don’t know if we will get any race setup practice at all and if not, that will be a first for me, but we will make the best of it and do our best to get the State Water Heaters Chevy in the field.”
