NASCAR WCUP: Burton Ready To Run In California
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 26, 2001
BURTON ON CALIFORNIA…
“With the horsepower that engine builder, Terry Elledge (father of Jimmy Elledge, crew chief for last week’s winner) provides, we are certainly prepared to get out there. He provides a lot for horsepower with the reliability that an engine program must have. We need a good run for the CAT team and there is no better place to have that than California. We’ve had some good runs there and we hope to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish.
“California is a lot like Michigan as far as configuration and size, but they drive a little bit different. Obviously, you have to have great horsepower at both places and you have to have a great handling package underneath you. The horsepower is not an issue with the CAT team and as long as I can give the team good information during practice, then Tommy and the guys will get the Caterpillar Dodge handling good for qualifying and the race. And if all goes as planned, we’ll start up front and finish up front.”
BURTON ON TALLADEGA…
“We were very lucky that the race went caution-free. We didn’t have the cautions for all the stupid things that were going on out there, but there still were a lot of close calls. There should have been a big pile-up a couple of times. The yellow line violation was probably the smartest thing that NASCAR could’ve done. Talladega is wide enough to run three and four wide, but when drivers do that on the front straightaway and then try to get back in line to make into turn one - that is when you have the problems.
“We had a great car for the race. We ran the best in the middle because we were a little bit loose when we tried to run on the top and the bottom. We made all the way to the lead from 39th and were capable of staying up there. On the last pit stop, I came in a little hot and overshot the pit. We were planning on doing a two-tire pit stop and pick up some track position. We got penalized a lap for pitting outside the box because we didn’t get backed up before the pit stop started. It was unfortunate because we had a really good car.”
Text provided by H.K. Stoddard
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