NASCAR WCUP: Ward Burton ready for Coca Cola 600 after good run in 'The Open'

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

May 24, 2001

“The Winston was a good run for us. We were competitive and that’s what we need to do with this new Dodge. We need to get back to where we were last year - leading races and contending for wins - and we made a step in that direction this weekend.” - Ward Burton

BURTON ON THE COCA-COLA 600…

“We learned a lot last weekend. We were close enough on the set-up that we could learn about the tires and how they were going to react under race conditions. We learned about the changes we made and how they were going to affect the car’s handling under race conditions. We also learned a little bit about the motor combinations. It was a very good learning experience for this team. We like our chances for the 600, that’s for sure. Our run last weekend at the Winston also brought a lot of momentum to this team. We’ve got a damn good race car and you can be sure that we’ll be bringing it back to the 600.”

BURTON ON THE WINSTON…

“The first run we made was the best. We were tight in turns one and two, but real good in three and four. We adjusted on the car during the first pit stop. We led some laps too, so that was definitely a boost for us. We had been real competitive all weekend and then we backed it up with a solid run and that’s what the CAT team needed. We gave up the lead close to the end of the first segment cause I just got real loose when someone got on the outside of me and that is why Jeremy (Mayfield) was able to get past us. They inverted 12 cars and that forced us to give up a lot of track position and we never really were able to get that back.

“For the last segment, we gambled and put on two tires. It was a gamble at the end, but Tommy felt like it was our only chance of winning and that was what we were there to do. We probably would have finished the same if we had put on four, but we were trying to win the race. I support Tommy’s decision. He is definitely a gambler and whether he makes a good call or a bad call, I’m going to trust him to make the right decision.”

Text provided by H K Stoddard

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