This Week’s AT&T Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway … Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 252 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Cup Series stable, a brand new Chevy Impala SS for the 2008 season.
· Stat Facts … In 28 starts at Michigan, Burton has posted two poles, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
· Good Start, Better Finish … In the season’s first 14 races, Burton has finished better than his starting position, with the lone exception coming at Auto Club Speedway of Southern California. All totaled, Burton has advanced his position by 240 spots and currently leads all active drivers with an impressive average finish of 7.7.
· Logging Laps … The 2008 Food City 500 winner leads all active drivers with the most completed laps this season. With the exception of finishing one lap down two weeks ago at Dover, while still finishing eighth, Burton has completed all laps of competition this season. He has also completed 81.1% of the total laps (3,783 of 4,664) running in the top 15 and leads all drivers with the most runs on the lead lap (4,530 of 4,664).
· Race Rewind … Burton posted his fourth top-five and 10th top-10 finish last weekend at Pocono Raceway. Additionally, the South Boston, Va., native shaved 121 points off of current NASCAR Cup Series championship point leader Kyle Busch’s lead. Burton’s closest competitor was sidelined early in the 200-lap event after making contact with another driver and ultimately finished 43rd.
· RCR at Michigan … RCR has earned two wins at Michigan International Speedway, both of them coming with Dale Earnhardt. Earnhardt snagged the checkered flag in the Miller American 400 on June 28, 1987 and again in the Miller Genuine Draft 400 on June 24, 1990. Additionally, RCR boasts 15 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes with seven different drivers including Childress, a former driver in NASCAR’s top division, who recorded top 10s at Michigan in June 1978 and in August 1979.
· June is for Birthdays … AT&T driver Jeff Burton will celebrate his 41st birthday on June 29. Additionally, two members of the AT&T Racing team will celebrate birthdays this month. Fabricator and rear-tire changer Aaron Smith turns 30 on June 27. Mechanic and pit support specialist Chad Tigert turns 34 on June 30.
· Testing 1-2-3, Testing … Burton and the AT&T Racing team tested at The Milwaukee Mile on Wednesday, June 11 in preparation for the upcoming LENOX Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
· Victory Junction NASCARnival Night … On Tuesday, the RCR NASCAR Sprint Cup Series over-the-wall crews made a special visit to the Victory Junction Gang Camp in Randleman, N.C. While at the camp the crews ate dinner with the campers and demonstrated real-time pit stops. Additionally, RCR’s over-the-wall teams took hot air balloon rides, played carnival games and made snow cones with the campers. All the campers this week suffer from Chron’s disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that affects an estimated 500,000 people in the United States.
· Meet the Press … Burton will field questions from the gathered press outside the No. 31 AT&T transporter on Friday, June 13 at 10:30 a.m.
· Up to Speed … The LifeLock 400 from Michigan International Speedway is scheduled to take the green flag Sunday, June 15 at 2 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Pre-race coverage begins live on TNT at 12:30 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on the Motor Racing Network and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the 15th points-paying race on the 2008 NASCAR Cup Series schedule is slated to air live on SPEED Friday, June 13 at 3 p.m. EDT.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
Michigan has not been kind to the AT&T Racing team over the past few races there. Why is that?
"We had some circumstances and have been in some situations that made the finishes look worse than they really were. Michigan is one of those tracks where we haven’t had the speed that other teams have had. It’s odd because when we go to California, Las Vegas and Atlanta we do have the speed. I think there is something that I need to do that could be different but every race is a new ball game. We’ll go there and do our best to be better."
What is it about Michigan that makes the track so good to race?
"I think the thing that really sticks out is the width of the groove. There are a lot of options at Michigan. You can run all the way down on the white line or run almost up by the wall. You don’t have to follow somebody around. It’s certainly not a one-groove track. That makes it so the driver has options. It also makes it a challenge for the team because the car has to work in multiple grooves. Running the groove that you feel good about in practice is important but you also need to run the groove that you may have to run in the race. Getting the car to work well in multiple grooves is important."
What type of racing will you expect this weekend at Michigan?
"Michigan is a great race track. I think the racing will be good with the new car. The options that the drivers have are pretty unlimited – running up by the wall, running down on the white line and everywhere in between. I think that has the potential to make great racing. Being able to run different lines is really important. With the new car, I think you’ll see a lot of drivers getting the high line to work real well."
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