Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series Race Notes

Sprint Cup Series

Subway Fresh Fit 500 - Jeff Burton Notes

Jeff Burton
No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet Impala SS
Event Preview Fact Sheet

Event/Date: Subway Fresh Fit 500 – April 12, 2008
Venue: Phoenix International Raceway – Avondale, Ariz.

NOTES:

This Week’s AT&T Chevrolet at Phoenix International Raceway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 240 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) NASCAR Cup Series stable, a brand new race car for the 2008 season.

Burton in the Loop at Phoenix …

Stat Facts … In 17 starts at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR), Burton boasts two wins, five top-five and eight top-10 finishes. Additionally, the South Boston, Va., native captured the checkered flag in the 2000 NASCAR Nationwide Series event at PIR.

Leading the Way … Burton maintained the NASCAR Cup Series point lead with his sixth-place finish last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. The South Boston, Va., native padded his lead over RCR teammate Kevin Harvick by 20 markers and currently leads the standings by 59 points. Additionally, the 40-year-old driver has been in the top-12 in points for 71 consecutive weeks, the most of any active driver.

And Then There Was One … The 2008 Food City 500 winner is the lone driver who has completed every lap of competition this season. Burton also has completed 86% of the total laps (2,052 of 2,387) running in the top 15 and leads all drivers with the most runs on the lead lap (2,382 of 2,387).

Since We’re Talking Stats … According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Burton is the sport’s best Green-Flag Passer at PIR. Over the last six events at the desert oval, he has completed 275 passes under green-flag conditions. Additionally, the 2007 Chase contender is the sport’s fifth-best Qualify Passer. Burton has passed 145 cars while running in the top 15 under green-flag conditions.

How This All Stacks Up … Burton currently sits sixth (98.7) in NASCAR’s Driver Rating category. The Driver Rating is 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. The Driver Rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.

Back to Orange… After showcasing a purple and lightening-themed Prilosec OTC paint scheme last weekend at Texas, Burton’s No. 31 Chevy returns to its traditional bright orange AT&T paint scheme this weekend at PIR.

Right Mix at Phoenix … Since joining RCR in August 2004, Burton has run seven races at PIR, garnering a 10th-place average finish with one top-five, four top-10 and seven top-15 finishes.

Double Down in the Desert … In addition to his driving duties with the No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet, Burton, a 27-time race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet in the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 Friday, April 11. The race will air live on ESPN2 beginning at 9:45 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and can also be heard on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.

RCR at PIR … In 48 races at Phoenix, RCR has earned three wins including Harvick’s sweep of both races at PIR in 2006. Prior to that, Dale Earnhardt won the Checker 500 on November 4, 1990. Additionally, RCR boasts 10 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes at the one-mile desert-oval.

Chevy Antes up for Autism … Autism Speaks and Chevrolet recently announced a month-long promotion to help generate up to $1 million for the non-profit organization and create greater awareness of autism, a disorder that is now diagnosed in one in every 150 children. During April – Autism Awareness Month – people who go to the Autism Speaks website (www.autismspeaks.org), can click on the “Help Chevy Help Autism” icon and take a free virtual test drive of the 2008 North American Car of the Year – the all-new Chevy Malibu. Chevrolet has committed to a minimum contribution of $500,000, but every virtual test drive taken gets Chevrolet closer to its goal of donating up to $1 million to Autism Speaks to support its mission of increasing awareness of autism and raising money to fund autism research. Those who participate in the virtual test drive will be offered a free 30-day online trial of XM Satellite Radio. All three RCR Cup Series entries will carry Help Chevy Help Autism decals throughout the month of April in support of the program.

Life is Grand – NASCAR Fan’s Victory of a Lifetime Heads West … Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime Sweepstakes winner, Kathryn Cooley, continues her ultimate NASCAR fan’s season this weekend at PIR. This will be Cooley’s sixth race of her 20-race schedule with RCR’s No. 31 Cup Series team. Before Cooley and her guests head to the grandstands, they will enjoy pre-race festivities in the exclusive Raceway Club. The fun doesn’t end once the checkered flag waves. The group will extend their stay in Phoenix and travel to the Grand Canyon to take in all the beautiful sites the breathtaking National Park has to offer.

Up to Speed … The Subway Fresh Fit 500 at PIR will be televised live Saturday, April 12 beginning at 8 p.m. EDT on FOX and will broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the eighth of 36 NASCAR Cup Series events will take the green flag at 7 p.m. EDT Thursday, April 10 and will broadcast live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Your team tested the Impala SS at Phoenix last month. How did the test go?
“We’re testing differently today than we used to. We’re not practicing as much as we’re testing. What that means is you leave with a bigger question mark. What we’re trying to do is prove out theories and then go back and apply them for a race. With that said, I think we learned a lot and I think we can apply what we learned. If you look at who ran fast, you wouldn’t put us on that list. The question is – is this form of testing going to yield better results? We won’t know the answer to that until the race is over. It’s interesting because you test somewhere for two days and leave not knowing if you’re going to be good or not. It’s kind of exciting. I like how we can prove theories out and go back to racing with a theory that was proven.”

You’ve been real consistent with your finishes at Phoenix over the past few years. Why is that?
“Although we have a bunch of top 10’s, Phoenix-style race tracks have been a weakness in our program. Particularly for the 31 team, we haven’t done as well at Phoenix, New Hampshire and Richmond as we needed to. For us, this is an important race. We run a lot at these types of race tracks throughout the season so we need to be better. We’ve put a lot of effort into this program and we’re looking forward to the outcome of our efforts.”

What’s unique about racing at Phoenix?
“The reason it’s unique is because it has superspeedway straightaways and short track corners. It’s a fun race track to compete on. It has multiple grooves. You don’t have to run right on the bottom, you can run on top or in the middle. It’s a neat race track with short track characteristics and higher speeds. You don’t get a demolition derby as you do on the shorter tracks but you get good racing.”