NASCAR WCUP: Pocono holds lucky breaks for Ward Burton
15 June 2000
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
"Pocono is a really great track for me. I really like the way it drives. It's an odd-shaped track, especially compared to the other tracks we go to. It has three turns and is one of the only tracks we shift at. We're looking forward to going there since we've run well there." - Ward Burton, driver of the Caterpillar Racing Pontiac BALDWIN ON MICHIGAN
"We started off the day very loose, but we kept adjusting on the car and eventually got it handling better. We got some lucky breaks during the race. Ward had a vibration early in the race and we were getting ready to pit when the caution came out for Bobby Hamilton. We came to pit road during the caution and found that the lugnuts were loose caused by a defective torque wrench. If we had pit before the caution we would have gone a lap down. As the race progressed, we got better with each run. We'll take our sixth-place finish."
BALDWIN ON POCONO
"Pocono is like no other track that we go to. It has three distinctively different turns. Turn one is the most normal turn, with it's sweeping turn. The tunnel turn (turn two) is a very tight turn, mostly because you're going so fast when you enter the turn and then turn three is tight and bumpy. I'd have to say that getting through turn three is the most important since it dictates your frontstretch speed. We're taking the same car that we raced last weekend at Michigan. That car has finished third (2), sixth (2), and a won at Darlington."
BALDWIN ON THE POINTS
"We're not very concerned about dropping to third in the point standings. We're almost halfway through the year and still in the hunt for the championship, so we're pretty happy with that. Our goal heading into this year was to be in the top-seven in points, so we're pleased that we're ahead of that goal at this point in the season. We have to turn our top 10's into top five's to continue to be in the hunt at the end. We're leading most laps completed and are second in top-10 finishes. We have a lot more work to do to keep up with the No. 18, No. 3 and even the No. 88. But we're keeping our momentum going and we're going to continue to strive toward the championship. That's what we need to do."
Text provided by Heidi Stoddard
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