Jeff Burton Establishes Himself As Title Contender
As the 2008 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup reaches its mid-point, there have been ample storylines touting the top contenders for the championship.
First, there was the attention given to Kyle Busch (No. 18 M&M’s Toyota), who dominated the season’s first 26 races by winning eight times to lock up the Chase’s No. 1 seed.
Then, there was the underdog story of Greg Biffle (No. 16 DISH Network Ford), who came out of nowhere to win the first two races of the Chase. Roush Fenway teammate Carl Edwards (No. 99 Office Depot Ford) has also been at the forefront, as he maintained a firm hold of positioning himself among the top two spots.
The past couple weeks, the focus has been on Jimmie Johnson (No. 48 Lowe’s Chevrolet), as the two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has demonstrated he’s not going to relinquish his crown without a battle.
Now, based upon his Bank of America 500 victory last Saturday night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway coupled with his consistent performance over the first half of the Chase, you can add another name to the list of contenders for the 2008 series championship — veteran Jeff Burton (No. 31 AT&T Mobility Chevrolet).
Burton has indeed been a model of consistency throughout this season and as a result, has been flying under the radar somewhat. However, he has been in the top 12 the entire season, and for a four-week stretch early on (after the first Martinsville race until after the first Richmond race), he was the series points leader. In fact, he’s only strayed outside the top five in points four times this season.
Burton won his 21st career NASCAR Sprint Cup race last Saturday at LMS. It was his second win of 2008, marking the first time since 2001 he has posted more than one victory in a season. Burton is no stranger to competing for a series title. He finished third in the 2000 standings, fourth in 1997 and posted back-to-back fifth-place finishes in 1998-99.
Burton says he gets a special feeling when he competes at Martinsville, the .526-mile short track located just 50 miles from his hometown of South Boston, Va.
“There’s no question, when I come to Martinsville, it’s different,” said Burton. “There are a lot of people who supported us when no one knew who we were who are still in the stands today. We take a lot of pride in that.”
Burton has one win (2nd race of 1997), seven top fives and 17 top 10s at Martinsville. Burton knows that the tricky short track can quickly wreak havoc.
“I’ve got a feeling some things will happen with some of the Chase contenders this week at Martinsville,” said Burton.
Jimmie Johnson Pads Lead: Points Toward Third Straight Championship
Two-time defending NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson takes a 69-point lead into Race 6 of the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup at a venue where he has nearly a flawless record during his career. Since his first race at Martinsville Speedway in 2002, Johnson has posted four wins, 12 top-10 and nine top-five finishes.
Johnson is attempting to become only the second driver in NASCAR history to win three consecutive series championships. Cale Yarborough accomplished the feat from 1976-77-78. While his 69-point lead over Jeff Burton may seem a bit secure, recent history indicates otherwise. The points leader with five races remaining has failed to win the championship in each of the past two seasons.
In 2006, Johnson was in seventh place and 146 points behind leader Jeff Burton with five races to go. Johnson went on to win his first title by 56 points, a swing of 202 points.
Last season, Johnson was in second place, 68 points behind teammate Jeff Gordon (No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet). Johnson won the championship by 77 points, a 145-point swing.
Loop Data: Hendrick Teammates Shine At Martinsville
Yes, Jeff Gordon made the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup and currently sits eighth in the standings. Yes, he has been in the top 12 for a solid 22 of the 31 weeks. Yes, his Driver Rating is 95.2, which is fifth-best in the series. But, by some accounts, this has been a tough year for the four-time series champion. That’s what can happen when you set the bar that high.
For one, Gordon’s top 10 production is down. But, how could it not be? Last season, Gordon scored a modern era record 30 top-10 finishes. This year, he has only 15. Unless he finishes inside the top 10 in each of the remaining five races, he’ll have less than 20 top-10 finishes for only the fifth time in his career. What’s been more troublesome for Gordon is his absence from Victory Lane in 2008. The 81-time race winner is in danger of ending a 14-year streak with at least one win per season — actually Gordon has posted at least two wins a year for the past 14 years. But, up next on the schedule is Martinsville, a track at which Gordon has displayed unparalleled brilliance over his career.
In 31 starts, Gordon has 25 top-10 finishes. He is the active leader in wins with seven. He is also on an incredible seven-race Martinsville top-five streak. Over that span of top fives, Gordon has a Driver Rating of 124.5, an Average Running Position of 7.2, 420 Fastest Laps Run and Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 86.7%. A top 10 finish would seem to be a lock for Gordon. But a win will be tough for one reason: Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson.
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