Burton Rallies, Believes Chase Berth In Future

Burton Rallies, Believes Chase Berth In Future  

No one questions Jeff Burton’s talent or commitment. The 46-year-old Virginian has won 21 times over 20 full seasons competing in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, finishing among the top 10 in the standings on eight occasions.

He placed third in points in 2000, capping a four-season run of top-five championship results. Burton’s most recent success in his current ride, the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, came between 2006 and 2010 when the veteran qualified for the Chase four times.

Then, disappointment. Burton ranked 20th and 19th the past two years and appeared destined for a re-run this season, flipping in and out of the top 20. Conversely, both teammates, Kevin Harvick and Paul Menard, have held positions in the top 10 in 2013. So has Kurt Busch’s Furniture Row Racing, which draws technical assistance from the Childress organization.

On Sunday, the Burton of yesteryear – a four-time New Hampshire Motor Speedway winner – reappeared. Burton ran at the front of the field for most of the afternoon to finish third for his best performance on a non-restrictor plate track since a second-place effort at Dover in the fall of 2010. He moved from 21st in the standings to 17th, matching a season-high ranking.

It gives Burton Chase Wild Card eligibility but the competitor has higher goals. With seven races remaining before the Chase lineup is set, Burton is only 25 points out of the top 10.

Burton believes Sunday’s performance is indicative of how his team will run as it continues to settle in with freshman Sprint Cup crew chief Luke Lambert and the many new faces that were added to the team in 2013.

“We have been running a lot better the last two months,” said Burton. “Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we are the class of the field but we are definitely making progress and we feel like we are starting to build on something, and we understand what we're looking for now.

“And we don't think we are out of the Chase. I know everybody else in the world does, but we don't. We feel like we can still do it.”

Burton has victories at two of the final regular-season tracks – at Richmond in 1998 and Bristol in 2008.

 

Teams Savor ‘Extra’ Week To Prepare For 20th Indianapolis Race

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers will scatter to the four winds this week and enjoy their last break until the 2013 season concludes Nov. 17 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

There will be no vacation, however, for their teams as they prepare for one of the summer’s signature races, the July 28 Crown Royal Presents the Samuel Deeds 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Bigmachinerecords.com. The 400-mile event marks the 20th season the NASCAR Sprint Cup has competed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

It likewise signals the beginning of ESPN/ABC television coverage of the season’s remaining 17 races including the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup™. ESPN, IMS Radio and SiriusXM Satellite Radio will air the Indianapolis event with live broadcasts beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

Five-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion and current points leader Jimmie Johnson is the defending Brickyard 400 winner. Johnson and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon are the co-record holders at Indianapolis with four victories apiece.

With the battle for Chase eligibility at a boil, the Indianapolis race can be seen as pivotal. Five champions – Johnson, Gordon, Tony Stewart, Bobby Labonte and Dale Jarrett – have won at the Brickyard in at least one of their championship seasons. NASCAR Sprint Cup champions, including NASCAR Hall of Fame member Dale Earnhardt and 2014 inductee Jarrett, have won 15 of 19 races at Indy.

Eight of among the current top 10 vying for a post-season berth have yet to win at Indianapolis – Johnson and Kevin Harvick being the exceptions.