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NASCAR WCUP: Ward Burton prepared for 'fast times' at Martinsville

5 April 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

"Things happen fast at Martinsville, just like they do at Bristol. You have to be on your toes for 500 laps. You have to make sure that you're on the lead lap at the end of the race because anything can happen. You might be able to capitalize on other peoples mistakes." - Ward Burton

BURTON ON MARTINSVILLE

"Martinsville is a tough track. I've learned to be a more patient driver and that will come into play this weekend. You have to run wide open down the straight-aways and come right up on the person in front of you. You might bump the person in front of you or even get bumped yourself, so it is important to be patient and aggressive all at the same time."

BURTON ON TEXAS

"We never gave up that's for sure. The car just wouldn't adjust. It's very rare that Tommy and the guys can't get the car to adjust. We just missed the set-up. The car was so inconsistent and we couldn't do anything to make it better. One minute I'd be a little tight and the next minute I'd be sideways trying to pass a car on the outside. The team did a great job to get the car in position to finish 14th. It's just like Tommy said, "Never Die."

DAVIS LOOKING AHEAD

"I'm not sure how we'll keep the momentum going. That's going to be our biggest challenge. We finished last season with an awful lot of momentum and a lot of things going our way. We came into the season with a great car - a Pontiac that hadn't changed. We knew where our body was at and what to expect with it and I think that has helped us a great deal. The main thing that we've done is we've carried that chemistry and that momentum we had going last year into this year. Things have clicked. The guys are working real hard together and getting along real well, and that's really important. All our equipment has been extremely reliable and with the exception of Vegas, we've had real fast, top five cars everywhere we've been. We're going to continue preparing the cars the same way, working at the same pace and stay focused and I think we'll be fine. I believe we'll continue to have a great season, be in the position to win some more races and hopefully stay in the points race. That's all anybody can ask for."

Text provided by HKStoddard

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