Chat Transcript: Jeff Burton
November 1, 2001
2:04 PM EST (1904 GMT)
[NASCAR_Host3] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Jeff Burton!
[Jeff_Burton] Thanks for dropping by my chat this afternoon! We are excited about our win over the weekend! I am looking forward to answering your questions.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [spider] Jeff, what are going to be the keys for you and your team to get off on the right foot in 2002?
[Jeff_Burton] I think that the main thing is ending up this year strong and understanding going into next year how we have been affected by the new tire and various things that go on during the winter. We are starting to feel better about those things and we are closer to those things now than we were 3-4 months ago.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [rocko] Jeff, congratulations for the win Sunday! I have noticed that whenever you are about to win, the cameras are always on your wife. Is it because she is she is one of the few that actually sits outside and participates with the team? I think she should have her own sponsor! :)
[Jeff_Burton] Me too! No, I think it is just because she shows her emotions. The cameras are on her because she shows how she is feeling. Kim has seen the good side and the hard side of the sport. We started dating when I was 15 and she was 14. We have had to work hard to get to this point, and when we get ready to do something good or bad, she feels it because she has been there through all of it.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [roushracer] Hi Jeff! Just wanted to say congratulations on that super win last weekend! I applaud your attention to the safety issue -- do you think NASCAR is headed in the right direction now that they have mandated head and neck restraints?
[Jeff_Burton] Well I think the head and neck restraint is part of the puzzle. NASCAR's commitment to the future is for us to make the cars safer, and that is the key to continued safety. With their newest commitment with their facilities and staffing that facility, they have shown tremendous effort and that speaks for itself.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [tim99fan] When you won at Charlotte it was well documented that you used an old car. What about the cars you've been using in your recent stretch? Was the second Charlotte race using the Spring (old) car? Was the Phoenix repeat in last year's car?
[Jeff_Burton] The Phoenix car was last year's car. The latest string of top-5s have been both old and new cars. A lot has been made of our new cars vs. our old cars, but there really isn't any difference. We have improved our race team by going through the hard things, not because we are running differently designed cars.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Speedqueen17] Hey Jeff, congratulations on your Winston Cup success. It seems that Roush Racing has had problems with all the cars this year. Was there a specific problem and has it been fixed? Everyone seems to be running well now.
[Jeff_Burton] No, there has not been a specific problem. There has been a group commitment to improving each part of our program. A race team is made up of many different departments and a lot of different components, and each one has stepped up and said, "I need to do mine better." A lot of it has been that for some reason the drivers are getting a better feel for the cars than earlier in the year, and we don't know why that is but we are feeling good about it.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Lene99fan] Congratulations on 2-in-a-row at Phoenix. If NASCAR raced the entire season at only 1 track, which track would you pick?
[Jeff_Burton] I don't know! The great thing about Winston Cup racing is that we run so many kinds of racetracks. If I had to pick one, I would say Richmond.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [PBR 4 99] What are your thoughts on NASCAR rescheduling the New Hampshire race to the last race of the season, AND when you win, are you going to throw snow balls at Frank and the crew instead of Gatorade? LOL
[Jeff_Burton] Well, I wish that we didn't have to run on Thanksgiving weekend but I think it is important to know why we are running then. The events on the 11th were so overwhelming that we couldn't run on that weekend. Maybe it would have been nice to find a middle of the week day, but I think it is OK.
We are a group that said we are going to run a certain number of races to determine the Championship, and anything less would be wrong. Anything less than having the race would be wrong for the people that want to go to the race. It won't be the perfect racing situation, but we race. We said we are going to race there, and that is what we are going to do, and I think it is the right thing to do.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Wburton22addict] What is your take on the recent display of the "overly" aggressive racing and intentional "ramming" that has been going on? You and your brother are both very clean drivers and I am sometimes amazed as to how you both keep your cool
[Jeff_Burton] I think it is important to understand that it is just real competitive right now. I think the competitive level at a Winston Cup race today is greater than it has ever been. That has caused much more on-track incidents than normal, but it all revolves around competition.
If you look at the number of individual people that have won races this year, there is a big number. It is just harder today and more stressful because of that, and it spills over sometimes.
I try to drive people the way they drive me, and if I haven't raced against someone, I am going to assume they are going to drive me clean, and until he doesn't, that is how I am going to race him.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [go99go] What can we as fans do to convince NASCAR that fans DO NOT love the racing at Daytona and Talladega? This is not the type of 'racing' we want to see.
[Jeff_Burton] I think you are in the minority. A lot of fans do like to see it. It shows up in ticket sales and it shows up in attendance. It is enjoyed by a lot of people. The key going in to the future as we do change the rules and make it much more safe is the continued support of not seeing 40-car packs.
If the fans demand seeing that, that is what we are going to do, because our sport is about the fans. That is really what it is going to take is the support of the fans to change the rules. Even if the rules changes, it will be great racing and it will be wonderful, but it won't be the same thing we saw at Talladega.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [FastCat22] What are your plans as far as the Busch Series go and have you ever considered maybe owning a Busch team one day?
[Jeff_Burton] I have definitely considered it, but I just don't have the time to devote to it as an owner needs to. My Busch schedule next year will be about 12-15 races, but we are working all those things out right now. I like doing the Busch Series and I am excited about it next year.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [racingfan9] Will you be making any personal appearances in North Carolina this weekend?
[Jeff_Burton] I am going to go the souvenir trailer at some point. It is a pretty full day with the Busch race and pit stop championship. When the practice is over in the morning before the Busch race I will try to go out there for 30-45 minutes.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [cobronco69] Jeff, I am a fan in Colorado and have trouble finding Jeff Burton merchandise here, where can I find information on product locations?
[Jeff_Burton] Roushracing.com would be my advice.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Jeff2002] How has Mark Martin influenced your racing career and style as a "gentleman driver"?
[Jeff_Burton] In a lot of ways. Mark has been a great influence on me on and off the track. He is a man of integrity and honesty. If he tells you something, that is how it is.
Mark is a hell of a racecar driver. We have not been able to give him the things this year that people are used to seeing him compete at, but I know Mark real well and I tell you that he has it in him. We just have to give him the stuff to go do his deal. He is a tremendous influence in more ways than I can mention.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Noelle_dalejrfan] Hey Jeff! Are you going to take your kids out trick-or-treating? If so, what are they dressing up as?
[Jeff_Burton] Yes, I am! My daughter is going as a bat and my son is going as a lion. We are doing the animal thing. My daughter has a great costume!
I was going as the Kool-Aid guy but that got canned! They needed the stuff. I would like to encourage everyone to not let the recent threats of something happening prevent you from doing what you are going to do tonight. Do not give the satisfaction to those people making the threats. That is what I am doing and I encourage everyone to do that.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [j's66chica] Do you have time for things you enjoy other than racing, and do you feel that the number of races in a season should or should not be increased?
[Jeff_Burton] Should not be increased! I love to race. It is what I have always done and I love to do it. We don't need to run any more races than we do now. It appears to me that our time gets more and more limited, but that is not all bad.
People want us to do things and people want us to race and that is not a bad thing and I will not complain about it.
There are days I feel like I have too much on me, like anyone, but I wouldn't trade it for anything and I appreciate the fact that I can make a living doing what I am doing, and I am not about to complain about it.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Zapper] Jeff, back in 1999 you did a fan event at "SpeedZone" where some of us lucky people got to run with you and Mark Martin on the go-kart track. Will you ever take part of an event like that again? The fans love it.
[Jeff_Burton] It was a lot of fun, but it was rough! The fans had a bulls-eye on my shirt! I enjoyed doing things like that with the fans, and that was a real way to do it. Currently there isn't anything on the schedule to do that, but I would welcome the opportunity.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [SoBo native] Jeff, I am an original fan from South Boston. My son's dream is to race someday. In your opinion, is 18 years old too late to start racing?
[Jeff_Burton] It is not too late. There are certainly people that have been racing for 12-13 years already at that point, and those people will have an advantage. If talent and desire can overtake experience, so if a person has talent and true dedication and desire, then it is never too late.
It has to be clear that there is a kid out there that is 5 years old that is racing, or a 10 year old that has been racing for 5 years. The Winston Cup garage more and more every day is getting filled up like that. Look at Gordon, Stewart, Kenseth, Busch, myself, Harvick, we have been racing since we were little biddy things. That experience has been beneficial.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Spark lover] Congratulations on your win at Phoenix Sunday. Glad to see you win again. My question is do you feel that your #99 CITGO team has the potential to be a Championship team within the next few seasons?
[Jeff_Burton] Yes, I do. I believe that we have got one heck of a group of people. I don't think there is any doubt that we have the experience, talent, and we just have to put it all together.
Until we do that, we won't, but I feel really good about where we are as a team, even if our performance this year hasn't been as good as we wanted it to be. We have shown commitment and we have turned it around in the last few months, and because of those things I have a lot of confidence.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [rockracer] Jeff, I read that you once dressed up as Gene Simmons of KISS. He will chatting here next week, do you have a question for him? LOL
[Jeff_Burton] I don't have any questions! Haha Certainly when I was a young kid, KISS was the deal! Gene was cool cause he had that long tongue. I remember my mom shaking her head at me in complete confusion! Haha
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [gojunebug] Jeff, I saw on the race Sunday that the temperature in the cars were over 140-degrees! How do you prepare for that kind of heat and what do you do during a race to cool down?
[Jeff_Burton] The preparation certainly takes a large amount of time. It is a yearlong commitment to be in shape and having your body in the condition it needs to be in.
During the race it is real important to take in fluid. There is a container in the car that I can put whatever I want it in, water, Coke, Gatorade, and I need to stay hydrated. Beyond that, we have a "cool box" that pumps air into my helmet and that is cooler than the air in the car, and that is a major help.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [nascar50] What do you think about the new engine rules for 2002 season?
[Jeff_Burton] I think it is great. Doing away with the qualifying engines is wonderful and having some rules on the components on engines so they have a minimum weight is great. It cuts down on expenses and it cuts down on a lot of work that does not help the quality of the race. The sport is about the fans and doing great racing, not who can build the lightest engine.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [burtgal] I know that the safety issues and tragic deaths of several drivers in the past year and a half have to have taken a toll on all of you. How difficult has it been for you to remain focused under such pressure?
[Jeff_Burton] It hasn't been very hard. Every week we go to a racetrack and each week it is imperative that we are mentally prepared. It has added something to our plate that we didn't have before, trying to aggressively go out and build better products to keep ourselves safe. It has given us something else to think about, not change focus. When you get in the car, you are thinking about how to win, and that is what it is all about.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [ModifiedsMan48] Jeff, what do you think about Tony Stewart's reaction to NASCAR mandating the use of head and neck restraints?
[Jeff_Burton] Tony has a legitimate problem. Claustrophobia, from how I understand it, can be an agonizing situation. Those situations we are under can confine you and it is harder to move around, and for someone like Tony, that could magnify it.
The key is finding something that everyone can wear, and that may not be the same for everybody. Tony's condition should make everyone aware that when mandating something, we can't eliminate other products from coming on the scene.
We need to find something for Tony to be comfortable. He wants to be safe, but we need to find something for him to be safe and comfortable with, and we need to work with him to get through it.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [jeff_fan] Jeff, how much of a victory is luck and how much is skill?
[Jeff_Burton] They are all different. No one wins a race surely with luck. It hasn't happened, and it won't happen. If you are running 2nd and the guy in front of you blows an engine and you win, that isn't luck.
Your engine people built you an engine to run 500 miles. When people say you got lucky or unlucky, in fact it is about being in the right place at the right time. Luck is something that we try not to talk about because then you don't have control over it, and the only people that have control over it is us.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [#1burtonfan99] Hey Jeff! Congratulations on an awesome win at Phoenix! If Harrison or Paige decides they want to race how would you feel about that?
[Jeff_Burton] I am not going to push in any direction as far as what they want to do for a living. I have a passion for what I do and if one of those guys have a passion for the same thing that I do, then I would support them.
I have to admit that I would like to see them do something else, but I will support them 100% in whatever they want to do, as long as they are committed to it and they will put in the effort and time to do the right thing.
[NASCAR_Host3] Question from: [Harry'sChic] Congratulations on your win! When your brother Ward won at Darlington this year you soaked him with ice water. Did Ward do anything like that to get you back after your win on Sunday?
[Jeff_Burton] No, I didn't see him! That is so far away from home that everybody just tries to get home very quickly. He just wanted to get home rather than worrying about throwing water on me! Haha
[NASCAR_Host3] Jeff, thank you! That's all the time we have this afternoon. Do you have any final thoughts?
[Jeff_Burton] Thanks for coming on today. I appreciate your commitment to NASCAR racing, and God Bless America.
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