Friday, May 09, 2008 - 12:00 AM Updated: 02:00 PM

 

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DARLINGTON — At age 40, a lot of drivers might start thinking about getting out from behind the wheel.

But not Jeff Burton.

With the same determination he displayed as a rookie in the Cup series in 1994, Burton is still driving hard. He comes into this weekend’s Dodge Challenger 500 second in points after having led the series four straight weeks.

Burton has made the Chase for the Championship the past two seasons, finishing seventh both times.

“At 40 years old, I don’t believe I’m not as good as I was when I was 25. I’m better than I was at 25,” Burton was saying before Thursday’s practice. “I think the only reason your stats fall off is you don’t have the desire you once had.

“Our sport isn’t like football and basketball where it is so physical. I could see in those sports where your skills do fall off. I think the older you get in this sport, your skills get better. I don’t believe I can’t be successful over the next five years.”

Clint Bowyer, his teammate at RCR, thinks Burton has a lot of racing in him. He still likes to razz him a little about his age, though.

“We tell him he’s an old fart,” Bowyer said after Burton won at Bristol in March. “He proves it week in and week out on the track that he’s plenty capable of getting the job done.”

Burton has 20 career wins, two at Darlington. Just a few years ago, though, his numbers and confidence took a hit.

From 2001-05, Burton failed to win a race. And in the middle of 2004, he left Roush Racing for RCR.

“There were some things that weren’t right (at Roush). But I didn’t think I had forgotten how to drive,” Burton said. “I didn’t come here to end my career. I came here to get it going again. I knew it would be a lot of work and it was going to be hard. And it is still going to be.

“We’re racing against highly-motivated people who work their (butts) off. We got to go earn it and make it happen.”

Burton’s arrival at RCR seems to have rejuvenated the organization. All three made the Chase last year, and all are in the top five heading into this weekend.

Instead of taking credit for the turnaround, though, Burton praises car owner Richard Childress.

“I like to think I had a part in it, but I’ve been by no means the reason,” he said. “Richard was going to make some changes before I came in … and we have some highly-motivated people here.”

The garage and Capitol Hill

Burton’s impact on racing has been felt beyond the track and RCR. He’s become the voice of the garage area, speaking out on such topics as safety and keeping fans in tune with the sport.

“I don’t like sitting on the sidelines,” Burton said. “A lot of people have worked hard to make this sport what it is today. I want to make sure I leave it better than when I came in.

“I want to be a part of what’s going on.”

With his natural speaking ability and charisma, Burton said he would like to make a run at the U.S. Senate when his racing career is over.

“(Working in government) is a way to give back and make things better,” Burton said. “It’s still an honorable thing to do. When the time is right, I’ll jump into it.”

Down the road

Burton has no plans on slowing down and hopes Childress is his last stop, saying “I can’t see myself anywhere else.“

The biggest motivation Burton has these days is winning a championship. Burton’s highest finish was third in 2000. He’s finished in the top 10 six times, including four straight top-10 finishes from 1997-2000.

“If I don’t win a championship, I’m not going to fall in a hole and die. But without a doubt, winning a championship is very important to me,” Burton said. “It’s what I’ve worked my whole life to do.

“We’ve put ourselves in position, but we just haven’t executed. We have never won them for one reason or another.”

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