Race 2 Win: Sprint Cup Series Race Notes

Sprint Cup Series

Aaron’s 499 - Jeff Burton Notes

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

Event/Date: Aaron’s 499 – April 27, 2008
Venue: Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway

NOTES:

This Week’s AT&T Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway … Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 226 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Cup Series stable. Built new in 2008, this is the same Chevrolet Impala SS Burton raced to a 13th-place finish in the 50th running of the Daytona 500 in February.

Burton in the Loop …

Stat Facts … In 28 Cup starts at Talladega, Burton owns two top-five and 10 top-10 finishes.

The Talladega Report … According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Burton is the sport’s best Green-Flag Passer at Talladega. Over the last six events at the famed superspeedway, he has completed 2,338 passes under green-flag conditions. Additionally, the 2007 Chase for the Cup contender is the sport’s second-best Qualify Passer. Burton has passed 1,794 cars while running in the top 15 under green-flag conditions.

Leading the Way … Burton maintained the NASCAR Cup Series point lead with his sixth-place finish two weeks ago at Phoenix International Raceway. The South Boston, Va., native padded his lead over second-place Kyle Busch by 21 markers and currently leads the standings by 80 points. Additionally, the 40-year-old driver has been in the top 12 in points for 72 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 82.8% of the total laps (2,235 of 2,699) running in the top 15 and leads all drivers with the most runs on the lead lap (2,694 of 2,699).

How This All Stacks Up … Burton currently sits seventh (96.3) 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.

After the First Eight … In the season’s first eight NASCAR Cup Series races, RCR-prepared cars have earned one win, seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. At the same time, RCR cars have led 230 of the 2,699 laps contested this season (8.5 percent). Meanwhile, Burton’s teammates Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer sit fifth and eighth, respectively, in the Cup Series championship point standings, placing all three RCR cars in the top 10.

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. Childress boasts nine victories at the storied Alabama race track - all of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Additionally, in 105 starts, RCR boasts four poles, 27 top-five, 44 top-10 finishes and just shy of $7 million in earnings.

Did you Know … Chevrolet holds the record as the manufacturer with the most success at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, with 34 victories. RCR contributed nine of Chevy’s wins.

Testing in Music City … Before heading to Talladega for this weekend’s Aaron’s 499, the AT&T Racing team will make a pit stop at Nashville Superspeedway Tuesday, April 22 and Wednesday, April 23 to test their Impala SS in preparation for the upcoming short tracks on the 2008 schedule.

Catch the Action … The Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live Sunday, April 27 beginning at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time 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 26 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.”

While racing inches apart, can drivers tell who has the best shot to win?
“A lot of times, we see four, six or eight cars that are better than the field. The fans may not see it because we are all in one pack but we, as drivers, see it. We can see who the fastest cars are and typically one of those cars wins.”

Do good restrictor plate drivers know how to get in position to win?
“Being at the right place at the right time is so important at Talladega. Knowing what to do and when to do it is also important. You see the same drivers making the right moves at the right time so there is a skill involved there, there’s no question about it.”