• This Week’s Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet Impala SS at Texas Motor Speedway … Jeff Burton will pilot chassis No. 049 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Nationwide Series stable in this weekend’s O’Reilly 300 at Texas Motor Speedway. This chassis underwent a complete rebuild this winter and will hit the track for the first time this weekend as an updated 2009 Impala SS.
"This past year, we didn’t have a year we wanted to have, but we are continuing to work really hard. We go to Texas this time trying a whole other approach and something completely different than in years past."— Jeff Burton
• Statistically Speaking …
o 10 in 12 … Burton has finished 10th or better in each of his 12 starts at the 1.5-mile oval. He leads the category of top-10 finishes at TMS with 12, best all-time in NNS competition.
o Ranking at the Top … The South Boston, Va., native is tied for third all-time top-five finishes with Mark Martin. His average finishing position of 5.9 is second best among active drivers at ‘The Great American Speedway!’ Burton has completed all 2,285 laps (third most among all drivers) during the 12 NNS events he entered at TMS.
o Loop D’ Loop … The 27-time NNS winner has an average mid-race running position of 3.4, best among drivers over the past four years at Texas. Also, Burton has run inside the top 15 for 97.8% of the laps in his last five events at TMS.
o RCR at TMS … In 32 NNS starts at Texas, RCR boasts one pole (Jeff Green – April 2002), four wins (Kevin Harvick, March 2001, April 2006, Nov. 2006, and Nov. 2007), 10 top five and 19 top 10s. RCR-prepared race cars have also led 548 laps at the 1.5-mile Fort Worth racing complex. Last season, RCR finished second (Burton), third (Clint Bowyer), and fourth (Bobby Labonte) in the April event at TMS.
• Double Duty Wheeling … Besides his NNS duties, Burton will pilot the No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Samsung 500 this weekend at Texas. Live coverage of Samsung 500 begins on Sun., April 5 at 1:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on FOX. It will also be broadcast worldwide on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
• Rear-View Mirror… The No. 29 Richard Childress-owned machine is currently second in the point standings, 56 markers behind the No. 60 of Roush Fenway Racing. Burton and teammate Clint Bowyer have posted two top-five and four-top-10 finishes in the first four events this season. They have combined to lead 37 laps and earned an average finishing position of 5.5.
• Did you Know … This weekend’s NNS event at Texas marks the first race where only one RCR NNS car will race out of its’ stable. In 13 previous races that RCR has entered at TMS, there were two or more drivers who qualified and ran in the event.
• ‘Three Wide for the Name on the Ride’ … The internal wager among the three Holiday Inn Racing drivers, Burton, Bowyer, and Stephen Leicht, is in high gear. The driver with the most wins, or best average finishing position, following the July Daytona event will have their signature above the door of the No. 29 Holiday Inn/Holiday Inn Express Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2009 season, no matter who is driving the car. Following the first four races of the young season, here is how they ‘stack up:’
o Bowyer – 3.0 average finish
o Burton – 8.0 average finish
o Leicht – first race will be at Nashville Superspeedway on Apr. 11th.
• Congrats to New Dad… Holiday Inn Racing gasman and mechanic Thomas Costello celebrated the birth of his son Tyler Robert. Tyler was born Saturday evening shortly after 7:30 p.m. at Northeast Medical Center in Concord, N.C.
• Meet the Press … Burton will be available inside the TMS’ infield media center on Fri., April 3 at 10:30 a.m. to field questions from the media.
• Race Broadcast Information … The O’Reilly 300 will be televised live on ESPN2 Sat., April 4 beginning at 2:30 p.m. EDT. The race will also broadcast worldwide on the Performance Racing Network and Sirius XM Satellite Radio. Live updates for qualifying will air on Thursday evening, beginning at 7:05 p.m. on PRN and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.
JEFF BURTON QUOTE:
You have 12 top-10 finishes in 12 starts, no wins, but you have never had a bad run at Texas Motor Speedway.
“We’ve always run well there and a few times, I thought we might have a shot to win. We were in good shape and one thing happened or another, but our Nationwide Series program at RCR has been incredibly good there. This past year, we didn’t have a year we wanted to have, but we are continuing to work really hard. We go to Texas this time trying a whole other approach and something completely different than in years past. I’m really excited for that. The Holiday Inn Racing team has worked hard, trying some different stuff, and this will be the first opportunity we have to try and race it.”
