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Sprint Cup
CUP: Burton Aims To Bounce Back
Jeff Burton is hoping to rebound from a disappointing 2011 season...
Jeff Burton, driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet, speaks with the media during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on January 25, 2012 in Welcome, North Carolina. (Photo: Getty Images)
In January, every NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team owner, driver and crew chief is relentlessly upbeat about the upcoming season, certain that it will bring positive results.
A good case in point is Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Realistically, the 2011 season was one of the low points of Burton’s career. He finished 20th in the Cup standings last year, his worst position since he drove for Billy Stavola in 1995, and he did not post a single top-10 finish until Watkins Glen in August. Burton ended the season with just two top-five and five top-10 finishes, and his winless streak now stands at 113 races.
Despite those gloomy statistics, Burton does have some genuine cause for optimism. The South Boston, Va., native finished the 2011 campaign on an up note, getting both of his top fives and four top 10s in the last five races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup campaign.
Burton starts 2012 with new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, a longtime Roush Fenway Racing loyalist, and his crew has a lot of new faces, courtesy of a wholesale restructuring at RCR. He is ready to a return to the top 10.
“Obviously last year was really disappointing,” said Burton. “On the other hand, I learned a lot about myself last year. I thought I handled last year really well. I thought the people around me handled last year really well. It was disappointing for us, it was disappointing for the sponsors, it was disappointing for all involved — the fans — but everybody kept digging, they kept fighting and they kept trying. Not everybody can say that. So I was proud of that.”
For this year, Burton is hopeful that Blickensderfer will help him regain his old form.
“It became clear that we were going to have to do something different,” said Burton. “And all along, Drew was the guy that I just thought was the best fit for this company. I think it’s important to hire people that fit in our organization. I think that you have to have the right chemistry (among) everybody.
“Drew is the guy that I just wanted badly, and since we’ve got him, I’ve been just unbelievably excited about talking to him, what his game plan is and how well he’s worked with the other crew chiefs.”
Burton said one big improvement that RCR as an organization already had made is that three full-time and one part-time Cup teams are cooperating more closely together than in years past.
Also getting a new Cup crew chief this year is Burton’s teammate, Kevin Harvick, who will be led by Shane Wilson, the former crew chief for the now-departed Clint Bowyer.
“We’ve got two of the three teams with a new driver-crew chief combination,” said Burton. “But I think mixing that up let us position the company with the type of combined effort that we really need. Putting people in new positions, I think, is a good thing, because it reinvigorates them. ... I feel like we’ve got the right mix of people.”
Burton said he has no doubts about his new crew chief.
“I think he’s capable. I think he’s a championship-winning guy,” Burton said of his new crew chief. Starting at Daytona next month, Burton will find out if he’s right.
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
A good case in point is Jeff Burton, driver of the No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
Realistically, the 2011 season was one of the low points of Burton’s career. He finished 20th in the Cup standings last year, his worst position since he drove for Billy Stavola in 1995, and he did not post a single top-10 finish until Watkins Glen in August. Burton ended the season with just two top-five and five top-10 finishes, and his winless streak now stands at 113 races.
Despite those gloomy statistics, Burton does have some genuine cause for optimism. The South Boston, Va., native finished the 2011 campaign on an up note, getting both of his top fives and four top 10s in the last five races of the NASCAR Sprint Cup campaign.
Burton starts 2012 with new crew chief Drew Blickensderfer, a longtime Roush Fenway Racing loyalist, and his crew has a lot of new faces, courtesy of a wholesale restructuring at RCR. He is ready to a return to the top 10.
“Obviously last year was really disappointing,” said Burton. “On the other hand, I learned a lot about myself last year. I thought I handled last year really well. I thought the people around me handled last year really well. It was disappointing for us, it was disappointing for the sponsors, it was disappointing for all involved — the fans — but everybody kept digging, they kept fighting and they kept trying. Not everybody can say that. So I was proud of that.”
For this year, Burton is hopeful that Blickensderfer will help him regain his old form.
“It became clear that we were going to have to do something different,” said Burton. “And all along, Drew was the guy that I just thought was the best fit for this company. I think it’s important to hire people that fit in our organization. I think that you have to have the right chemistry (among) everybody.
“Drew is the guy that I just wanted badly, and since we’ve got him, I’ve been just unbelievably excited about talking to him, what his game plan is and how well he’s worked with the other crew chiefs.”
Burton said one big improvement that RCR as an organization already had made is that three full-time and one part-time Cup teams are cooperating more closely together than in years past.
Also getting a new Cup crew chief this year is Burton’s teammate, Kevin Harvick, who will be led by Shane Wilson, the former crew chief for the now-departed Clint Bowyer.
“We’ve got two of the three teams with a new driver-crew chief combination,” said Burton. “But I think mixing that up let us position the company with the type of combined effort that we really need. Putting people in new positions, I think, is a good thing, because it reinvigorates them. ... I feel like we’ve got the right mix of people.”
Burton said he has no doubts about his new crew chief.
“I think he’s capable. I think he’s a championship-winning guy,” Burton said of his new crew chief. Starting at Daytona next month, Burton will find out if he’s right.
Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.
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