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closeJeff Burton California race preview
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007
· This Week’s Race Car California Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 155 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable. This is the same Cingular Wireless Chevrolet that competed in 2005 at the fall race in California (started 16th, finished 35th) and Kansas (started 40th, finished 28th). Team Cingular also tested this car during the off season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (Jan. 29-30, 2007).
· Stat Facts … In 13 Cup starts at California Speedway, Burton has posted one pole, three top-five and four top-10 finishes.
· Double Duty … In addition to racing the No. 31 Cingular Wireless Chevrolet in Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race, Burton will drive the No. 29 Holiday Inn Chevrolet for RCR in the Stater Bros. 300 NASCAR Busch Series (NBS) race at California Speedway on Saturday, February 24. This weekend’s race is the first of 18 that Burton is scheduled to drive the Holiday Inn Chevrolet. The race can be seen live on ESPN2 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST).
· Josh Yost, Injured Jackman Update … Team Cingular jackman Josh Yost will undergo surgery to his left ankle Thursday at Baptist Hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C. During a routine pit stop in last Sunday’s Daytona 500, Yost’s left Archilles tendon ruptured. Adam North, the jackman for the No. 29 Holiday Inn NBS team, will fill in for Yost beginning this weekend at California.
· On Air … Jeff Burton will be a guest on Jim Rome’s nationally syndicated radio show Wed., Feb. 21 at 2:05 p.m. EST, to talk about his third-place finish at last weekend’s Daytona 500. The Jim Rome Show is syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks.
· California Dreamin’ -- Prilosec OTC NASCAR Fan’s Victory of a Lifetime Heads West … Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime Sweepstakes winner Jim Farina of Pittsfield, Massachusetts continues his ultimate NASCAR Fan’s season at California Speedway’s Auto Club 500 this weekend. Accompanied by his nephew, this will be Jim’s third race of his 20-race schedule with RCR’s No. 31 Cup team. Before Jim takes a seat in the grandstands this Sunday, he will enjoy a ride around California Speedway in the Official Pace Car of the Auto Club 500.
· Up Close and Personal … The No. 31 Cingular Wireless team will be one of five teams featured this weekend on Direct TV’s NASCAR HOTPASS. With a channel dedicated solely to Team Cingular during the running of the Auto Club 500, fans will be able to watch all the action through Direct TV’s multiple camera angles, real-time car telemetry and listen to in-car audio communication.
· California Driver … Jeff Burton isn’t the only member of Team Cingular with driving experience in California. Crew chief Scott Miller was behind the wheel on six occasions at the now-defunct Riverside International Raceway from 1981-1984, with a top finish of 14th at the nine-turn road course in Southern California. Miller raced in the NASCAR Winston West Series from 1983-1986 accumulating two poles, one win and six top-five finishes.
· Family Man … Following the hectic Speedweeks schedule, Jeff Burton took a few days to spend some time with his family. The Burtons enjoyed a family vacation to Biscayne Bay in sunny South Florida prior to heading to California for the Auto Club 500.
· Up to Speed … The Auto Club 500 at California Speedway will be televised live on Sunday, Feb. 25 beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST on FOX. The race will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the second of 36 races on the 2007 NASCAR Cup Series tour begins Friday, Feb. 23 at 5:30 p.m. EST and will broadcast live on SPEED.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What is the key to a strong finish at California Speedway?
“Really, it’s kind of the same at every racetrack we go to. You, first and foremost, have to have a fast car. Then, you can’t make mistakes out on the racetrack or in the pits. Today’s world in NASCAR Cup Series racing is so competitive that there can not be mistakes made anywhere in order to have a good finish because the competition is just so strong.”
You just competed at a restrictor plate race in Daytona and are now headed to California to compete on an intermediate track. What is going to be different about this weekend’s race?
“California is what we call the first real race. Restrictor plate racing is so different than what we do every week. You’ll have drivers who ran terrible at Daytona and then go to California and run real well. You’ll also have people who ran great at Daytona and go to California and run awful. To me, racing at California is the beginning of the measurement of where you are.”
Why is it so important to run well at California Speedway?
“Leaving California knowing you can run well there is very important because it kind of shapes your year. It lays the groundwork for the mile-and-a-half, two-mile racetracks – where you are in the scheme of things. It’s real important to get off to a good start because if you don’t’ then you start wondering how are we going to fix this. It’s difficult to turn the ship around when things are not going so well. It’s important to go to California and compete at a high level because it builds confidence in the equipment that you have.”
In addition to your Cup Series duty, you are also going to compete in your first Busch Series race at California. Does it help you as a driver running double duty?
“I think it helps me. I really enjoy racing. I think the more that I can race in these types of cars at this level the better. I don’t think there is any question that it makes me better as a driver but you can do too much. You can over stack your schedule so that it becomes a distraction. You just have to be careful with how many races you run. An 18 race schedule is actually a little more than I wanted to do but Holiday Inn is such a great sponsor. There will be a lot of information flowing back and forth, so under that scenario running more races is a good thing.”