| | STRONG INFLUENCE | When Jeff Burton talks, NASCAR pays attention | |
| | By Steve Rogers / NWANews.com FORT WORTH, TX -- Among successful NASCAR drivers, there are several who can make an impact in corporate America or on Madison Avenue and are well known in and out of the sport.
Then there is Jeff Burton.
Although he is the Sprint Cup points leader entering today’s Samsung 500 at Texas Motor Speedway and has 20 career victories in the series, Burton is far from being one of the sport’s most recognizable figures.
Among his peers in the NASCAR garage, there is not a more respected person in the sport. When it comes to issues involving drivers — either among themselves or with manufacturers, track owners or NASCAR itself — Burton is generally accepted as the unofficial spokesman for other drivers, if not a leader in the garage.
“I don’t know if I am a leader in the garage or not. That’s for those guys to decide,” said Burton, who will start 35 th today. “But I do like being involved in it. I think if you are going to be a part of something, you need to be a part of it. “ I’m a part of this sport, and I don’t just want to be a driver. I want to be more than that.” Burton is far from being the most opinionated driver. But unlike many of the others, when Burton speaks out on an issue, his comments aren’t tinged with emotion. Typically, he gives thoughtful responses and doesn’t spout one-liners for a quick sound bite.
“He’s been pretty quotable for years,” said Batesville’s Bill Davis, who owns a team that competes against Burton. “Suddenly he finds himself in that role of being one of the senior guys, certainly one of the senior guys who is still competitive, winning races and running up front. He’s just a smart guy. “ He does have a good, bigpicture view of the sport and where we’re going. I think he is a good spokesman for us.” Rarely does a controversy or issue come up in stock car racing that Burton isn’t asked for his opinion. In fact, it seems as if Burton might be pushed into speaking up on certain topics by other drivers because they know his opinion carries more weight among high-ranking officials in the sport.
“I won’t say that has never happened, but it doesn’t happen on a consistent basis by any means,” Burton said. “I do have conversations with drivers about the conditions of whatever we’re talking about and how it could be better.” Burton has been at the forefront of creating and testing many safety improvements in the sport. Many of those improvements likely prevented tragedy Friday when rookie driver Michael McDowell suffered a brutal crash in qualifying.
“It was a great comment on the head support, the HANS device, the leg rails, the wall,” Burton said. “And they fixed the wall. I thought that was pretty impressive. He bent that wall pretty bad, and after an hour or so they had it back ready to go.” While Burton seldom backs from controversy, he is constructive with his criticism. So when he speaks, NASCAR listens.
He did bristle Friday, however, when discussing safety improvements at tracks, particularly a guardrail on the backstretch at Pocono Raceway in Long Pond, Pa.
“The back straightaway at Pocono is ridiculous,” Burton said. “Davey Allison got in the grass and flipped on the guardrail 15, 18 years ago ? Now it’s the same guardrail and the same grass. The exception is the guardrail now has dirt behind it.
“ It’s time for them to step up and fix it. We’ve been trying to get it fixed for years.” With the implementation of a safer car and several other advancements, Burton said now is not the time to stop pushing toward safety in the sport.
“We need to look at everything,” he said. “We need to look at ways to make the car safer, think of ways for drivers’ equipment to be safer, safer for the fans, pit crews. We can’t stop.” Burton has been racing in Cup full time since 1994. He started with the Stavola Brothers, switched to Roush Racing in 1996 before moving to Richard Childress Racing in the middle of the 2004 season. His first victory came in the first race held at Texas in 1997, and last spring he became the first repeat winner at Texas.
Today’s race will be the first at Texas with the Car of Tomorrow. That and a track surface that is slicker after a year’s curing should make handling a premium, Burton said.
“A good-handling car will be the difference between winning and finishing 20 th, I promise you that,” Burton said. “You won’t be able to fake it, that’s for sure.
“ I think we are going to have a lower-grip tire, but some of that that is probably by design. This has been a place where tire failures have happened. So they [Goodyear ] have come with a tire that is a little more durable, and I support that.”
| | Posted April 06, 2008 , 10:41 pm EST
Last Updated April 07, 2008 , 9:48 pm EST | | | | | | |
