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NASCAR WCUP: Daytona 500, post race notes and quotes, Jeff Burton

21 February 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

JEFF BURTON --99-- Exide Batteries Taurus -- "The last few laps weren't too wild. The run before that was really wild. A bunch of guys took on two and we took on four like most of the guys did that ended up in the front. I made it three-wide a couple of times to get myself in position. That's a good day for the Exide Ford. That's the best chance we've ever had to win a restrictor-plate race. My hat's off to everybody at the fab shop and the engine shop because we truly and legitimately had a shot. We never led a lap all day, but I got us messed up in the pits and we were like 14 seconds behind and we ran them down all by ourselves, so this was the fastest car we've ever had."

DID YOU HAVE FRIENDS OUT THERE TODAY? "For a few laps you have a friend and the next few laps you hate him. That's just restrictor-plate racing. I had to pull out on my teammate late in the race and stuff like that just agonizes you because you work so hard to get yourself in a position to be able to run with your teammate and then you have to survive for yourself you have to turn left and go around him. That stuff just agonizes you."

TALK ABOUT THE LAST FEW LAPS? "I knew what DJ was gonna do because that car always accelerates well. I committed to stay with him and Elliott had committed to stay with him and we got by him. It was kind of working in our favor. We had backed off the 88 a little bit and then we were gonna make a run at him with Elliott, but that's just the way it goes. It was a good race for us, the Exide Ford was strong all day."

Text provided by Ford

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