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Daytona 500: Jeff Burton NASCAR Sprint Cup Race Preview
NOTES:
· This Week’s Race Car at Daytona International Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot Chassis No. 226 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) stable, a new race car for the 2008 season that Burton tested at the famed 2.5-mile track during Preseason Thunder testing in January.
· Stat Facts …
o Start Your Engine … The 50th Daytona 500 will mark Burton’s 476th career start in the NASCAR Cup Series. This will also be Burton’s 15th consecutive run in the prestigious event.
o Former Winner … Burton is a former winner at the famed Daytona International Speedway. He claimed victory under the lights in the 2000 Pepsi 400. In 27 starts at DIS, Burton has posted one win, six top-five and eight top-10 finishes.
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o Golden Nugget … Burton captured a golden victory when he won the 50th running of the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on August 22, 1999.
o Coors Pole Winner … Burton captured the Coors pole position for the 2006 Daytona 500. He also captured the top starting spots at Chicago, Indianapolis and at Michigan in August that same year, tripling his career pole total (2) in just one season.
· RCR Rocks Daytona … Dating back to 1986, RCR has won seven poles and owns 23 total victories at DIS, including Kevin Harvick’s dramatic win in the 2007 season-opening Daytona 500. Additionally, RCR won 10 straight (1990-1999) qualifying races with Dale Earnhardt. All totaled, RCR has won five Bud Shootouts, 13 qualifying races, two Pepsi 400s and two Daytona 500s. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also won the February 2002 NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona driving a car fielded by RCR and Dale Earnhardt Inc., and Harvick won the 2007 Nationwide Series opener at DIS in the No. 21 Chevrolet.
· Meet the Driver … Burton will sign autographs at the AT&T store located in front of the Volusia County Mall from 4 – 6 p.m. Friday, February 15. In addition, fans can win give-away items, courtesy of AT&T.
· On Stage … Fans can see Burton live Sunday, February 17 at 11:10 a.m. on the Chevy Stage, located in the merchandise area outside turn four at Daytona International Speedway. Burton will be part of a question and answer session hosted by Chevrolet.
· Good Day Sunshine -- NASCAR Fan’s Victory of Lifetime Kicks Off at the Daytona 500 … Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime Sweepstakes winner Kathryn Cooley of Barnesville, Md. will begin her season long journey in Daytona Beach, Fla. this weekend for the 50th running of the Great American Race. The Daytona 500 will be the first of 20 NASCAR Cup Series races that Kathryn and three of her closest friends or family members will attend during the 2008 season. In addition to tickets and VIP passes to all 20 races, Kathryn and her guests receive first class air-transportation, hotel accommodations, round-trip ground transfers from the airport to the hotel, $700 in spending money and a $20,000 cash prize. On top of all that, Kathryn has a new No. 31 Prilosec OTC Monte Carlo SS parked in her driveway that was personally delivered to her home last month by No. 31 driver Jeff Burton.
· Catch the Action … The Daytona 500 will be televised live Sunday, February 17 beginning at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on FOX and will be broadcast live on MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. The Gatorade Duel at Daytona 150-mile qualifying races will take the green flag Thursday, February 14 at 2 p.m. EST and will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN and Sirius Satellite Radio. Qualifying for the Daytona 500 will air live on FOX and MRN on Sunday, February 11 beginning at 1 p.m. EST.
JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
What are your thoughts as we head into a new season?
"I’m very optimistic about the 2008 season. We have worked really hard and hopefully we worked harder than the other teams. The fact is that this sport is highly competitive, there are a lot of good teams out there and everybody is trying to do the same thing and that’s to win. Time will tell if we have done enough work or not during the off-season. I’m not sure. I know that I can’t ask for anything more out of my team. I think we put as much effort in as we possibly could. We just have to hope that all our work will be good enough in the end."
This is the first time the Impala SS will debut at Daytona. How do you approach this race compared to last year’s race?
"If you approach this race the same way you approached it with the car we raced last year, then you’re destined to be disappointed. It’s a completely different package and mindset. Learning what that mindset needs to be is what’s really important. Some teams may have already figured that out but the majority of the teams are still figuring that out."
What would it mean to you to win the 50th running of the Daytona 500?
"Over Christmas I went to Ward's (Burton, his brother) house, and his Daytona 500 trophy was in his house. I don't know what it was about it, but I saw that trophy and it was like it was the first time I had ever seen it. Any win is a big win, but when you can look at ‑‑ if you look at a trophy like that and have that sitting in your house, that's a different kind of win. It's one of those that last forever and it has so much meaning. The 50th anniversary only enlightens and enhances that. It would be really special."
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