Q: How many tests have you done?
Jeff Burton: “I did Texas. I did Indy. We’re going to Daytona after Talladega. I think pretty much everybody went to Indy. I guess I’ve done one but RCR has participated more than that. And you have to excuse me that’s the only one I remember doing was Texas. It could be another one in there that I don’t remember. I remember going to Indy and I remember going to Texas and we are going to go to Daytona. But RCR has had more than that. That’s just the No. 31.”
Q: Did you see kevin’s (Harvick) interview on the pre-race show last sunday?
Jeff Burton: “I did see it yes.”
Q: It seemed to appear that he had already made up his mind that he would not stay at RCR beyond 2010, is that a good thing or bad thing going into a season when you know a teammate is in that situation?
Jeff Burton: “I think everyone has to be professional enough that it doesn’t matter. I don’t know that we’ve always been there but I think we are there now. I think it’s important for RCR to do everything they can to put all their teams in the best shape to win races and it’s important for Kevin to be in a position to win races. Kevin has been a really good teammate to me. We have a very good working relationship. I have a lot of respect for Kevin and I believe he has a lot of respect for me. He has through this whole process not changed his attitude toward me and how he works with me in any form or fashion. It is a stressful situation for he and Richard to deal with and for he and his team to deal with. There’s no question about it. “At the same time I think the hard part is over. I think going through what was gone through last summer and all that makes now easier if that makes sense. Sometimes you are just better off going to the dentist and getting it over with. I think that everybody is behaving in a very professional manner and everybody is understanding that Kevin has a year left on his contract and he’s going to do everything in his power to do the best job for RCR. RCR is going to do everything in their power to do the best job for him. Clint and I are going to continue to work with Kevin the same way we always have. Our teams are going to continue to work together and I think we are going to work together better actually, not because he’s leaving but because we need to. Things change. Kevin may look around eight months, 10 months from now and say you know what things have really changed here and I really think this is the place that we’re going.”
“By his interview he indicated that wasn’t going to happen but you never know. The reality of it is if you lose a driver the caliber of Kevin Harvick, we have to have a seat available that a Kevin Harvick caliber driver wants. The only way we’re going to do that is to put a race car out there that’s highly competitive and shows the people that are looking for rides that you need to come here. And by the way as Kevin is out there looking for his next thing it’s in his best interest for owner’s to be looking at him and saying we’ve got to have him. So at the end of the day it’s about performance. Everybody’s mindset is the same even if for different reasons and that is the reason we have to be successful.”
Q: With Talladega coming later in the chase do you think that’s going to have much of an effect on the outcome and do you think changing the size of the restrictor plates is going to have much of an effect on safety there?
Jeff Burton: “I think the coolest thing about Talladega is going to be Halloween. I think Saturday night is going to be a pretty good time myself. I’m thinking about dressing up and nobody will know who I am. The whole plate thing, you’ll have to excuse me and I know you are going to laugh when I say this but I don’t even know which way they’re going with the plate. It has a big effect on how you have to manage the car but I don’t care if they go down or if they go up you’re still going to be in a big pack. The only way they’re ever going to change the pack size is to take the plate completely off or to make them where they drive so bad that we can’t all run in one big group and that’s just not going to happen. I think the plate has minimal impact. You’re going to hear a lot today when you ask that question about the cars not accelerating, but they don’t accelerate now.”
“So taking plate out of them ain’t going to make any difference at all. In Daytona it would have a much larger impact than it does at Talladega. You’re in a big was, you’re in a big pack and it ain’t going to change. If they take a 1/16 plate out of it or if they add a 1/16 plate do it. To me it’s going to be the same thing it’s just going to be the pace is a little slower. That’s not the same answer you’re going to get form most people but I’ve been through a lot of plate changes and it just does not have that big of an impact at Talladega like it does at Daytona. That’s my opinion.”
Q: Jimmie Johnson took the points lead for the first time this past weekend and immediately the reaction from many fans was oh no not again, is it possible to get your due from this fan base or do you have to accept that there’s going to be so much passion there is always going to be a backlash?
Jeff Burton: “When the Dallas Cowboys win Super Bowls there is a group of people that hate it and there’s a group of people that love it. The people in this sport that people don’t stand on the fence with are the ones that win the most races and stir up the most controversy. There’s not many people out there that say well I kind of like Jeff Gordon. You either really like Jeff Gordon or you don’t like Jeff Gordon at all from a fans perspective. There’s people that will celebrate Jimmie Johnson’s third championship and there’s people that will hate it. There’s people that will say it’s not good for the sport because a guy won three championships in a row, it would be better if we had more people win it. We don’t look back at Cale Yarborough’s three in a row and so oh my, that was awful for the sport. You never get your just due in the era that you’re in. It’s always appreciated more later. Because the people you are racing against and the people you are competing against don’t want to give it to you. The people that are pulling for you want to give it to you. The people that are pulling against you don’t want it.”
“They will look back on it later with much greater perspective and much broader view. Anyone that should at the very least appreciate and respect what Jimmie Johnson and that team have done, they’re not open minded enough right now. They’re just not going to. Unless their guy is going to do it, they’re not going to like it. It’s been incredible what they’ve done and from the competitors there is a great deal of respect and I think from the fans there is a great deal of respect too but let’s face it, part of the fun of watching college basketball is pulling against Carolina and pulling for Duke. It’s as much about pulling against a team as it pulling for a team and it’s the same in racing. Pulling against somebody is as much fun as pulling for somebody.”
Q: Do you think the chase is over if they don’t make a mistake?
Jeff Burton: “I don’t by any means think it’s over if they don’t make a mistake. Mark Martin won a race and he (Jimmie Johnson) won two. So if Mark wins this week and Mark takes the point race back over and Jimmie finishes third did they make a mistake? I think they don’t have to make a mistake to win, I think there’s enough competition all around them if they don’t finish in the top-three assuming other people don’t make a mistake then they don’t win. So I by no means think it’s over. They are certainly if not the favorite one of the favorites but it isn’t by no means over.”
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