| | | | | | ALWAYS A CHALLENGE | Drafting at 'Dega increases stress level for Jeff Burton | |
| | By SceneDaily Staff The practice of drafting at restrictor-plate tracks, like the site of this weekend’s Aaron’s 499, Talladega Superspeedway, always poses plenty of problems for Sprint Cup drivers. And that worries Jeff Burton.
The draft bunches cars in large packs as they race close to 200 mph around Talladega’s behemoth 2.66-mile track. With drivers racing just inches away from each other, a multicar crash is only one slip away.
“I’m always nervous to run at Talladega,” said Burton, the Sprint Cup points leader. “You have to go into that race thinking that there is going to be a multicar incident and how am I going to miss it. To me, it’s a stressful Sunday morning, and once the race gets going, I calm down.
“But as the laps start winding down, the intensity level just goes through the roof. It’s unbelievable how you can feel it there more than any other race track. At every other race track, if you’re racing for the lead you might be racing with maybe two or three other guys. At Talladega, you’re contending with 30. When the intensity level increases for 30 people versus three, it changes the way you race.”
The key to getting a top finish at Talladega, Burton said, is to get yourself in the right position in the closing laps. That’s easier said than done, of course.
“Being at the right place at the right time is so important at Talladega,” Burton said. “Knowing what to do and when to do it is also important. You see the same drivers making the right moves at the right time, so there is a skill involved there, there’s no question about it.”
Burton, who drives Richard Childress Racing’s No. 31 Chevrolet, has never won at Talladega but has two top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 28 Cup starts at the track.
| | Posted April 23, 2008 , 6:11 pm EST
Last Updated April 23, 2008 , 6:12 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
