Richard Childress Racing

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August 21, 2012

Jeff Burton Event Preview: IRWIN Tools Night Race

"We will see a nice mix of the new and old Bristol (Motor Speedway)."

RCR RCR

Event Preview Fact Sheet

Jeff Burton
No. 31 CAT Global Mining Chevrolet

Event/Date:    
IRWIN Tools Night Race
August 25, 2012

Venue:
Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway

NOTES:
This Weekend’s No. 31 CAT Global Mining Chevrolet at Bristol Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will race Chassis No. 385 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the IRWIN Tools Night Race. Burton has driven this No. 31 Chevrolet four times this season including Pocono Raceway in August (started-23rd, finished-22nd), the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May (started-22nd, finished-19th), Texas Motor Speedway in April (started-24th, finished 29th) and Las Vegas Motor Speedway in March (started-22nd, finished 14th).

Wherever There’s Mining … The No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet will be adorned with the colors of CAT Global Mining this weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway. Wherever you go in the mining world, you'll find Caterpillar. From underground coal mines in the United States to gold mines in Africa and iron ore mines in Australia, Caterpillar products are hard at work and CAT people are right there too with building and supporting products, training operators, helping customers mine more profitably and working with schools, organizations and communities. As industry leaders, Caterpillar is engaged in the mining industry at every level.

Winner, Winner … Burton claimed the 2008 Food City 500 trophy at Bristol Motor Speedway in a 1-2-3 RCR finish. In addition, he also visited Victory Lane in NASCAR Nationwide Series competition at BMS in April 1997.

Career Bristol Stats … This weekend’s 500-lap event marks Burton’s 38th start at the half-mile bullring and his 643rd-career Sprint Cup Series entry. Burton has garnered one win, eight top-five and 15 top-10 finishes at the track and led 322 laps at the Bristol, Tenn.-based race track.

Getting Loopy in Thunder Valley … Burton has accrued impressive NASCAR Loop Data Statistics at Bristol Motor Speedway since its inception in 2006. Of all drivers entering the event, he has the third-most Green Flag Passes (791) with 350 coming while running in the top 15 (ninth-most Quality Passes). Burton has spent 4,254 laps running in the top 15, ranks third in the Closers category and ninth in Speed in Traffic and Fastest Driver Late in a Run.

Sign Here, Please … On behalf of General Mills, Burton and crew chief Drew Blickensderfer will participate in Food City Race Night at 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 23 along with several other Sprint Cup Series drivers and teams. Tickets are $5 in advance, $6 at the door (all proceeds go to charity) and wristbands that guarantee an autograph from Burton and Blickensderfer are limited to the first 300 fans. The event is slated to take place in downtown Bristol on State Street.

First Response Team of America … Caterpillar has teamed up with RCR to show appreciation for the First Response Team of America by offering a special ticket discount for the Labor Day weekend race on Sunday, September 2, 2012. The ticket program consists of a $20 discount off any regularly-priced $99 Champions Grandstand seat for the AdvoCare 500 Sprint Cup Series race at the 1.54-mile facility, located less than an hour from downtown Atlanta, Ga. For each ticket sold through this unique program, $29 will be donated to the First Response Team of America, a nonprofit emergency cleanup crew that provides immediate aid to areas hit by disasters. For more information, visit www.CATRacing.com or to donate directly to the First Response Team of America, please visit www.firstresponseteam.org.  

Top-10 Finish in March … After qualifying 33rd, Burton and the No. 31 BB&T Chevrolet team scored their second top-10 finish of the 2012 Sprint Cup Series season, placing sixth in the Food City 500 at BMS.

Race Rewind: Pure Michigan 400 … After starting from the 32nd position in the Pure Michigan 400, Burton and the No. 31 Wheaties Chevrolet team scored a 19th-place finish in the Sprint Cup Series event at Michigan International Speedway.

Points Racing … Burton sits 20th in the Sprint Cup Series driver championship point standings. After 23 points-paying events of the 36-race Sprint Cup Series season, Burton has two top-five and four top-10 finishes. The veteran RCR driver has spent 1,908 laps running in the top 15 and has made 2,250 green-flag passes.

JEFF BURTON QUOTES:
After testing at Bristol Motor Speedway, what do you expect to see from a racing standpoint with the track modifications?
“We are still going to see multiple race grooves. We are not going to see a single-file race track. We will see a nice mix of the new and old Bristol (Motor Speedway). You are going to choke down the number of grooves available to the drivers. That very top lane isn’t going to be available to us anymore. We won’t see as many escape routes, but more cautions. A little bit of mix between the old and new.”

Do you expect more wrecks or bumping and banging that people want to see?
“I anticipate some. It’s not going to be a night and day difference, but I anticipate some.”

You finished sixth-place at Bristol Motor Speedway in March. Were you happy with that finish?
“We ran well there. There were a few times when we even had the best car on the race track. We battled for the lead there a few times. We had a top-10 car, but ran well all day. It was one of our better outings.”

How do you feel about the No. 31 team’s short-track program this season?
“I’ve been pleased. We haven’t won any races, but our short track program has surpassed our 1.5-mile program this season.”
 

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