Catchfence

Happy Birthday, Jeff … Caterpillar driver Jeff Burton celebrated his 43rd birthday on Tuesday, June 29. He is the sixth-oldest driver listed on this weekend’s entry list behind Dave Blaney, Todd Bodine, Bobby Labonte, Mark Martin and Joe Nemechek.

Back to Cat … After showcasing a LENOX Industrial Tools paint scheme last weekend at New Hampshire, Burton’s No. 31 Chevy will return to its traditional black and yellow Caterpillar paint scheme this weekend at Daytona.

Keep on Rolling … The 21-time Sprint Cup Series race winner is third to Matt Kenseth in most completed laps this season. With the exception of finishing nine laps down in Talladega and one lap down in Charlotte, Burton has completed all laps of competition this season, three shy of Kenseth’s total, and has been running at the end of all 17 races this season. He has also run 92.9 percent of his laps on the lead lap (4,989 of 5,368).

Season Rewind … In the season’s first 17 events, Burton has earned three top-five and seven top-10 finishes. He has recorded a 15.8 starting average, a 13.9 average finish and has spent 81.3 percent of the time running in the top 15 (4,365 of 5,368). The South Boston, Va., native is also the series’ best Green-Flag Passer with 1,904 passes made under green-flag conditions. At the same time, he has passed more cars while running in the top 15 (1,364 of 1,904). Other notable loop data season stats include: Third in Average Running Position (10.4), Third in Driver Rating (101.7), Second in Fastest Drivers Early in a Run, Third in Fastest Drivers Late in a Run, Third in Fastest Laps Run, Fifth in Fastest Drivers on Restarts, Second in Green-Flag Speed, Third in Laps in Top 15, Sixth in Laps Led, Sixth in Mile Leaders, First in Quality Passes and First in Fastest Speed in Traffic.

Race to the Chase Update …Burton enters this weekend’s 160-lap contest eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship point standings. With nine races remaining in the Race to the Chase – the 10-race stretch preceding the “Chase for the Sprint Cup,” which begins when NASCAR’s premier division returns to New Hampshire Motor Speedway in September, the veteran driver sits 142 markers forward of the cutoff spot to become a member of the 2010 12-man Chase class.

What a Difference a Year Makes … Over the 2009 season’s first 17 events, Burton and the Cat Racing team sat 16th in the point standings, 108 markers in arrears to the coveted 12th-place tally. During that span, the No. 31 crew recorded two top-five and six top-10 finishes and led 66 laps of competition.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:

You ran really well in the Daytona 500 and at Talladega earlier this year. What are your expectations as you return to Daytona?

“I’ve been sitting in the Daytona 500 races in the past three years thinking I had a chance to win the race. Something ended up happening in each race and it was one thing after another. For some reason, our car didn’t handle very well in the 400-mile race. The same can be said for Talladega. Our Caterpillar Chevrolet was fast and I could put it wherever I wanted to and it would go. It was unfortunate that I got hit from behind because that ultimately ended our day. But, based on our performances at the two restrictor plate races this year, I think we’ll be really good. I have high expectations this weekend. Daytona is all about handling and if we can get the car to handle well, we’ll be in good shape.”

Do you setup your car differently in the Coke Zero 400 than you do for the Daytona 500?

“The handling is completely different in this race than it is in the (Daytona) 500. It’s so much slicker. It’s hard to get your car to handle well at Daytona but there is a fair amount of difference in the July race. It’s hard to get your car to turn in the corners and rear wheels to hook up. It’s a huge challenge.”

You captured your first win at Daytona in 2000. How special was that?

“Daytona is so entrenched in NASCAR’s history. There’s no question the (Daytona) 500 is the bigger of the two races, but I won’t give my 400 trophy back.”

Where are you in terms of getting ready for the Chase? Are you experimenting with things or are you focused on solidifying your place in the Chase?

“I think we are in all those places to be quite honest. I think that all the teams that feel like they have a shot to make the Chase have to be looking at what they have to do to be better when the Chase starts. The main focus for the majority of us is to make the Chase. Whenever you are trying something, you are trying to improve. With the testing ban, you have to be trying stuff at the race track on race weekends. For us, we are just looking for results and I think everybody is. I think that a lot of people, especially after they run bad, talk about trying something in order to get better. I think that is a normal evolution. Part of what you are seeing with the testing ban is that you have to test at the race track on Saturdays. Hopefully, you figure it out. But, where we are is that we feel good about our ability to run fast enough to make the Chase. We also know there are a lot of cars behind us that are in the same place. So, we have to protect our spot. I think the best way to protect our spot is to climb the points and that is what our focus is.”