NASCAR Cup

Michigan: Jeff Burton preview

This Week's Caterpillar Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway ... Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 307 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2010, Burton drove this Caterpillar Impala to a ...

Published: Jun 9, 2010, 5:16 AM

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This Week's Caterpillar Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway ... Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 307 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable. Built new for 2010, Burton drove this Caterpillar Impala to a 25th-place finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway last month after contact with another competitor, with fewer than 20 laps remaining, cut the left-rear tire on the Caterpillar Chevy.

Michigan Details ... In 32 Sprint Cup Series starts at the two-mile Irish Hills oval, Burton has posted two poles, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes. His best finish of third came in June 1999.

Ask Jeff your Question ... Burton will participate in a question-and-answer session at the Chevy Stage on Sunday, June 13 from 8:40 - 8:55 a.m. The stage is located near the frontstretch grandstands, inside the Fan Zone area.

June is for Birthdays ... Two members of the Cat Racing team will celebrate birthdays in June. Gary Frost, mechanic on the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy, will turn 39 on June 9, rear-tire changer Aaron Smith will turn 32 on June 27, driver Jeff Burton will turn 43 on June 29, while rear-tire carrier Aaron Schields will celebrate his 29th birthday on June 30.

Welcome Home, Gary ... One member of the Cat Racing crew hails from Michigan. Gary Frost, mechanic on the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevy, calls Romeo his hometown, which is located approximately 110 miles northeast of the speedway.

JEFF BURTON:

You haven't finished in the top 10 at Michigan in the last 14 starts. Why is that?

"I'm a little surprised with that stat but I can tell you that Michigan and Pocono are the two tracks that we have run the worst on. It's frustrating when you don't run well at Michigan because you can't do anything and you lose a lot of time. We need to get to where we can run in the top five at Michigan and be a contender for the win. Our weak point, three to four years ago, was our engines. But, our ECR Engines is our strong point right now, so between that and the way we've been building our cars, I really believe that we'll turn our luck around and finish in the top 10 this weekend."

What is it about Michigan that makes the track so good to race?

"I think the thing that really sticks out is the width of the groove. There are a lot of options at Michigan. You can run all the way down on the white line or run almost up by the wall. You don't have to follow somebody around. It's certainly not a one-groove track. That makes it so the driver has options. It also makes it a challenge for the team because the car has to work in multiple grooves. Running the groove that you feel good about in practice is important, but you also need to run the groove that you may have to run in the race. Getting the car to work well in multiple grooves is important."

What type of racing will you expect this weekend at Michigan?

"Michigan is a great race track. I think the quality of racing will be good. The options that the drivers have are pretty unlimited - running up by the wall, running down on the white line and everywhere in between. Being able to run different lines is really important."

-source: rcr

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