Jeff Burton Watkins Glen Sprint Cup Race Preview

Press Release

Jeff Burton No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet Race Preview

Event/Date: Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen – August 9, 2009
Venue: Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International

Jeff Burton’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Performance at Watkins Glen International

Date Start Finish Laps Completed Total Laps Status Money
8/10/2008 5 17 90 90 Running $109,833
8/12/2007 4 40 72 90 Accident $98,641 
8/13/2006 16 11 90 90 Running $97,645
8/14/2005 18 43 31 92 Accident $83,058
8/15/2004 24 12 90 90 Running $94,992
8/10/2003 23 31 90 90 Running $80,157
8/11/2002 25 7 90 90 Running $93,927
8/12/2001 22 2 90 90 Running $125,371
8/13/2000 4 3 90 90 Running $75,685
8/15/1999 27 13 90 90 Running $41,775
8/9/1998 4 23 90 90 Running $35,195
8/10/1997 36 29 89 90 Running $26,855
8/11/1996 23 21 90 90 Running $13,580
8/13/1995 25 38 30 90 Transmission $13,940
8/14/1994 36 25 88 90 Running $13,145
Totals/Avg. 19.47 21.00 1,210 1,352 $1,003,799

NASCAR RACE NOTES: 

• This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Watkins Glen International … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 246 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for the 2008 season, this is the same Chevrolet Impala SS Burton drove at Lowe’s Motor Speedway (St. 14th, Fn. sixth) last May, Pocono Raceway (St. 20th, Fn. fifth) last June, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (St. 32nd, Fn. ninth) last July and Dover International Speedway (St. 21st, Fn. ninth). Since then, this No. 31 racer has been converted from its original downforce configuration to a road course machine. Most recently, the South Boston, Va., native piloted this Caterpillar Chevy at Infineon Raceway in June where contact from another competitor on the last lap sent Burton off course, resulting in a 34th-place finish.

• Watkins Glen Summary … In 15 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts at The Glen, Burton has posted two top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has a 19.47 average starting position to go along with a 21st-place average finish and has led three different races for a total of 54 laps. 

• Twists & Turns … In 30 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series road course starts (Infineon Raceway and Watkins Glen International), the 16-year veteran driver has three top-five and eight top-10 finishes. Burton has also led 57 laps of competition and has earned a 19.6 starting average coupled with a 20.4 average finish.

• Double Down at The Glen … In addition to his duties behind the wheel of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, Burton, a 27-time race winner in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, will drive RCR’s No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet in the Zippo 200 at The Glen on Saturday, August 8. Race coverage will be televised live on ESPN beginning at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. The event will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 22nd of 35 races on the 2009 Nationwide Series calendar will air live on ESPN2 the same day beginning at 10 a.m. EDT.

• Testing, Testing … Burton and the CAT Racing team tested at Virginia International Raceway June 3 in preparation for this weekend’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen. 

• Five to Go … The 21-time Sprint Cup Series winner currently sits 17th in the championship point standings with five races remaining in NASCAR’s “Race to the Chase.” The 12 Chase contenders are determined once the checkered flag waves at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 12. Despite sitting 262 markers behind the sought-after 12th-place spot, Burton is still mathematically eligible to be a member of this season’s Chase class. 

• RCR at The Glen … In 42 starts at Watkins Glen International, RCR boasts two wins (Robby Gordon 2003, Kevin Harvick 2006), eight top-five and 17 top-10 finishes with seven different drivers. Additionally, Dale Earnhardt won three poles (1990, ’92, ’96) at the high-speed, 11-turn central New York circuit.

• Going Home … Two members of the CAT Racing team hail from the state of New York. Spotter Rocky Ryan calls Smithtown, N.Y. his hometown while scorer Cate Higgins is from Waterford. Additionally, team engineer and Fairfax, Va., native Jeff Curtis attended Cornell University, located in Ithaca, N.Y., where he graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 2001. 

• CIPT Marks First Anniversary … One year ago, Richard and Judy Childress announced the formation of the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma, located at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, whose mission would be to prevent and treat the leading cause of death in children. Twelve months later, CIPT has designed an intensive first-responder training pilot program that will serve as a replicable national model and established 10 partnership and affiliates, including the World Health Organization/Centers for Disease Control and the Pediatric Medical Device Institute. Additionally, the Institute held a national conference that represented the first significant research dialogue on pediatric trauma and developed a consortium of 15 cross-appointed faculty, including nationally recognized researchers among pediatricians, pediatric surgeons and biomedical engineers. While progress has been made, hard work of education, prevention and research continues. Each year, serious injuries claim the lives of more than 12,000 children in the United States - more than all other causes combined. The Institute’s goal is to save these lives and to help kids affected by these injuries recover to lead a more normal life. To learn more about CIPT or to help children across the nation by donating, please visit www.childresspediatrictrauma.org or call 1-866-635-8190. 

• Mark Your Calendars … In honor of its 40th anniversary, RCR will host a Fan Day at the Welcome, N.C. complex on Thurs., Oct. 22 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Activities include driver and pit crew autograph sessions, self-guided tours of RCR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide shops as well as ECR’s engine shop, radio remotes, musical entertainment, pit crew competition, viewing of the DALE movie, question-and-answer session with team owner Richard Childress and much more. General admission to RCR’s Fan Day is just $5, which will benefit the Childress Institute for Pediatric Trauma.

• Online with the Times … To keep up with the latest news and information about Richard Childress Racing and to view exclusive online content, visit the team’s official website at www.RCRracing.com. For qualifying and race results, log on to www.twitter.com/RCRracing.com. Additionally, media and fans call follow Jeff Burton at www.twitter.com/RCR31JeffBurton where periodic updates throughout the race and upcoming interviews will be posted.

• Catch the Action … The Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen will be televised live Sunday, August 9 beginning at 1 p.m. EDT on ESPN. The event will also be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 22nd stop on the 36-race NASCAR Sprint Cup Series calendar is scheduled for Friday, August 7 beginning at 3 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast live on ESPN2.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES: 

Can you translate your driving style at Sonoma over to Watkins Glen?
“The tracks at Watkins Glen and Sonoma are comparable in the same way as Pocono and Indy are comparable. The tracks are different but the same. For people like me who don’t have road course experience, I think there are similarities because the driving style is very similar. In some ways, technically, there is not a lot of information we use from one race to the other but from a driving standpoint it’s the same.”

Are there more passing zones at Watkins Glen than there are at Sonoma? 
“I think there are more passing zones at The Glen. You have the front straightaway, the back straightaway and then you have the straightaway after the long chicane. So, I think there are three real passing zones and more opportunity for passing at the Glen than at Sonoma.”

You finished 17th last year after starting fifth. Did you and your team learn anything from that race that you can apply to Sunday’s event? 
“Road course racing is something I strive to be better at every year. I really enjoy road course racing. Our Chevy Impala SS was pretty good last year. The handling kept getting better with each adjustment. We had problems with our rear tires on the last pit stop that cost us several positions but, based on the overall performance of our car, I think we’ll have a competitive weekend. Everyone at the shop is working hard to build and prepare better race cars and, with what I’ve seen, we have some good things coming.

- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release

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