Jeff Burton
Jeff Burton
Jeffrey T. "Jeff" Burton, nicknamed "The Mayor", is an American retired stock car racing driver. He scored 21 career victories in the Sprint Cup Series, including two Coca-Cola 600s in 1999 and 2001 and the 1999 Southern 500. He currently serves as a color analyst for NBC Sports, having joined them upon their return to their coverage of NASCAR. His brother Ward Burton and his nephew Jeb Burton have also competed in the Sprint Cup Series...
ProfessionRace Car Driver
Date of Birth29 June 1967
CitySouth Boston, VA
ask car felt five people race racing safer today
Racing is safer today than it was five years ago, but we didn't know it. People ask me, 'Do you feel safer today in a race car than you did five years ago?' No, I don't. I felt safe five years ago. I thought we were doing all we could do. I didn't know we could do more.
car concerned educated macho people popular race talk today willing
Before that, it was kind of a macho thing. It was like, 'Just get in the race car and drive.' I've never concerned myself with being very macho. I try to be smart, be educated and do the right thing. That has become more popular today than it used to be. People are willing to talk about (safety) now.
areas business certainly doubt feelings lost opportunity people races
Certainly through change, some people get their feelings hurt, there's no doubt about it. Unfortunately, some of the people in some of the areas have lost the opportunity to see as many races as they had. But what we do is big business and what we do relies on a lot of people being able to see it.
people three looks
We lost three very young, very talented drivers in a really short time and that had a lot of influence, too. Certainly Dale's death was a huge smack in the face to everybody, but all those deaths in such a short period of time was awful. It forced people to look at it and say, 'Hey, this isn't a coincidence. There's something going on'.
almost believe benefit dropping gave groups hammer individual needed nice people
I believe that a lot of it had to do with Richard's being a nice guy. I think that he was really nice, almost was too nice, to a lot of - not individual people but to the groups. I think he gave a lot of groups the benefit of the doubt, that they were doing the right thing, and wasn't dropping the hammer when things weren't what they needed to be.
although bill community diminished feet given good impact minute open people power talk willing
He and Bill Jr. had a really good relationship. As Bill Jr. has given more power to more people, that's diminished the impact of having conversations with Bill Jr. a little bit, although don't think for a minute Bill Jr. isn't stomping his feet somewhere. I think it's much more of an open community today. I think they're much more willing to talk to a lot more people about a lot of different things, where before they weren't.
drivers ok somebody
We have drivers who think it's OK for them to do something, but it's not OK for somebody to do it to them.
bristol jeff lap pace reason rhythm run rusty speed wallace
Bristol for me is very much a rhythm track, especially in race-pace. One reason Rusty Wallace has done so well, and Jeff Gordon, is that those are pace kind of guys. They can run the same lap speed consistently.
chance equal situation team tire
Every team should have the chance to do a tire test. You have a situation that is not equal for everyone.
bit bristol cases certainly chance definitely everywhere fourth happen hopefully improved ourselves past position pull run second time tiny track win
Well, we've definitely run well there in the past and put ourselves in position to win. I've run second at Bristol and fourth at Bristol with this team. Every time we've been there we've been very competitive. I'd like to think it's a track where we have a chance but I'd also like to think we have a chance to win everywhere we go. Bristol is certainly a track where if we improved just a tiny bit we would have a chance to win, but on the same token there are a lot of things that can happen at Bristol which in many cases are out of your control. Hopefully we can pull it off.
chance clean far good hit kevin last race teammate
I wasn't going to hit Kevin. I race clean every chance I get and the last person I'm going to hit is my teammate. Kevin has been real good to me as far as being a teammate and he would do the same for me.
appreciate believe continuing fight guaranteed mark martin pay percent proud race remembered taught throughout time track victory
Mark Martin taught me that you're never guaranteed to be in Victory Lane, and to appreciate it every time and I remembered that. I'm proud of myself for continuing to fight and give 100 percent throughout all of it. I never once didn't come to the race track and try, and I believe that'll pay off for me.
box open seen sure
It does open Pandora's Box a little bit. I've never seen anything like this, and I'm not sure I like what I see when I look at it.
behind car changed drivers indeed issues owners
Without a doubt, there's a lot of car owners and drivers right now that are thinking, 'Hmmm, am I behind on this thing?' ... These issues have indeed changed the landscape. No question.