Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton - Photo Credit: Todd Warshaw/Getty Images
Race Notes and Quotes
This Week’s Caterpillar Chevrolet at Atlanta Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 367 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. This Caterpillar Chevrolet is a recent addition to the fleet and ran for the first time at Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Burton started 13th and finished 35th after facing electrical issues in the closing laps.
The Atlanta Report … In 33 starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway, Burton boasts eight top-five and 14 top-10 finishes. He has a best career finish of fourth, which he accomplished five different times (March 1994, Nov. 1998, March 1999, March 2007 and Sept. 2010). He has completed 95 percent of his laps (10,053 of 10,587), leading for 104 circuits. He has an average starting position of 25.2 and an average finish of 16.8 at the 1.54-mile oval.
Last Time Around at AMS … Burton and the Cat Racing team overcame their 26th-place starting position to score a fourth-place finish in this race at AMS last season. Despite giving up track position during the night’s final caution that left them to restart 14th with 19 laps remaining, the 21-time Sprint Cup Series race winner’s fresh tires brought the Caterpillar Chevrolet to life, allowing the No. 31 team to claim the top-five finish and clinch a spot in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
Featured Cat … As the Caterpillar dealer serving the state of Georgia,Yancey Cat will be featured on the deck lid of the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet for Atlanta Motor Speedway’s Labor Day weekend event. Since 1914, the employees of Yancey Bros. Co. have proudly served customers in the Construction, Roadbuilding, Mining, Aggregates and Agricultural industries by providing them with quality products, parts and service.
Coca-Cola Cruisin’ … Coca-Cola will be hosting their annual Coca-Cola Racing Family Ride Along on Thursday at Atlanta Motor Speedway. 15 grand prize winners and their guests from various customer and consumer promotions throughout the year will have the opportunity to take a few hot laps around AMS with the Coca-Cola Racing Family members, including Burton and RCR teammate Clint Bowyer.
Rear View Mirror … After starting the IRWIN Tools Night Race in the 21st position at Bristol Motor Speedway last Saturday night, Burton and the No. 31 Caterpillar Team battled with a loose-handling condition throughout the 500-mile event to post a 15th-place finish.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
The last time you raced at Atlanta, you finished fourth. That had to be a satisfying day.
“Atlanta (Motor Speedway) is the type of place that I describe as multi-personalities. It has a completely different personality in qualifying trim, it’s so fast, you’re in the gas, and you’re making speed; but in race trim, it slows down. It’s like you’re racing at Rockingham (Speedway). It’s just so different. It’s a fun race track. It’s a challenging race track. I’ve never won there, and it’s a place that I really want to win at because it’s been such a big challenge. When I was running for Jack (Roush), we were second in points and missed the race. It was a long time ago, but ever since then, I’ve wanted to win there really bad. My rookie year there in a Cup car, I was leading and led a lot of the race. There was a late-race caution, and we had a bad pit stop and finished fourth. That one still stings because it was my fifth race, and we could have won it. There are a couple things about Atlanta that stick out, and I want to redeem myself.”
Does it feel weird that we’re only going there one time this year?
“It is weird, but I think it’s good. I know that there are a few people that live around the race track that won’t accept that comment, but it’s a track that puts on good races, it’s a track that always has something going on, and maybe that’s been taken for granted a little bit. Sometimes, I think you don’t realize what you have until it’s gone. I think only having one race there will rejuvenate and reenergize and remind people how special it is to have a Cup race there. Hopefully it can earn its way back into having two races there.”
Do you think moving the date was a win-win for everyone?
“I think moving the date was definitely a win-win for everyone. I think the early date really hurt Atlanta with the weather and all. I think this date is a really nice date. It’s a holiday weekend. There are a lot of things about this date that make sense.”
It has a nice carnival atmosphere because it is a holiday weekend.
“I think that people are a little more relaxed. If it’s a Sunday race, and you have to be home and at work on Monday that’s a different environment than if you can take your time getting home after the Sunday race. I think this creates a little more of a relaxed atmosphere. People feel like they’re really on vacation, and I think that makes a difference.”
- Richard Childress Racing, Press Release
