You may have heard this a lot over the first five races of NASCAR’s Chase for the Nextel Cup: “I hope Jeff Burton wins the Cup. He deserves it.”
With Burton in the lead by a comfortable 45 points at the Chase’s halfway point, you’ll hear it a lot more over the final five races. But what you won’t see is many orange Jeff Burton T-shirts. Or any hats with the No. 31 stitched on the front.
Burton has an explanation for this.
“I’m a lot of people’s second-favorite driver,”Burton said.
Funny, and true. Few picked Burton to finish anywhere near the top of the standings at the start of the Chase, let alone the start of the season. And you could count on one hand the amount of kids who have Jeff Burton posters up on their walls.
“For whatever reason, I’ve never pulled passion out of a lot people,” Burton said. “Dale Earnhardt Jr., Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon . . . they have people that hate them and love them. I’ve never had that relationship with huge amounts of fans. I take the fact that people are pulling for us to pull this off as a sign of respect. There’s a lot of people who say, ‘Hey, I’m a Junior fan, but if Junior’s not going to win, I want Jeff to win.’ I don’t have people that are crazy-addict Jeff Burton fans. But I have a lot of people that I believe respect me and that means a great deal to me.”
Odds are, his fan base is about to increase. People love a winner. And the way Burton is driving, he’ll be a winner when the checkered flag flaps after the season’s final race in Homestead. But Burton, ever the pessimist, refuses to admit he’s a lock. He’s seen how fickle this sport can be, how Murphy’s Law reigns over each turn.
“I’ve been around this sport long enough to know that things change quickly,” Burton said. “That’s why I’m trying to dodge any hint of cockiness, because I just know how this sport is.”
True again. But Burton, easily one of the most thoughtful drivers on the circuit, has been a different driver over these past five races. Prior to sneaking into the Chase as the eighth-place driver, Burton battled performance problems. He’ll be the first to tell you that more than once this season he had a winnable car that barely finished in the Top 10. But since the Chase began five races ago, Burton has looked more confident and has had three Top-5 finishes.
Three to take the checkered: Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch.
Subway 500
Martinsville Speedway
NBC – 12:30 p.m.
500 laps, 263 miles
RANK, DRIVER BEHIND
1. Jeff Burton –
2. Matt Kenseth 45
3. Kevin Harvick 89
4. Mark Martin 102
5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. 106
6. Denny Hamlin 137
7. Jimmie Johnson 146
8. Kasey Kahne 160
9. Kyle Busch 195
10. Jeff Gordon 216