Jeff to Sport Prilosec OTC Colors at Historical Indy
For the second time this season, Jeff will sport the colors of Prilosec OTC, this weekend at one of the sport’s biggest races at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Jeff hopes that he and the No. 31 team can have a successful weekend as the race to The Chase gets closer. Here are Jeff’s thoughts entering the historic race.
What makes Indianapolis Motor Speedway a thrill to go to each year?
“I think it’s an honor to go to Indy every year. The history is unbelievable. There is no where we go where you get the sense of people like you do at Indy with the grandstands on both sides of the front straightaway. When you walk out on Sunday afternoon to start that race, it’s like nothing else. The driver’s introductions there are pretty cool. It’s amazing to see that many people and the excitement at Indy is cool. It’s an open-wheel sacred-ground race track and the fact that we can go there and race is truly an honor.”
Do you think not testing at Indy is the right approach to take?
“I’m a fan of not testing at Indy. Indy is Indy – there is no other place like it. I think we should test at race tracks that provide us information for more than one track and Indy is the smoothest and flattest track we go to. I wasn’t disappointed that we weren’t going to test there because it puts everybody in the same boat. We don’t get to test at a majority places that we run on. Indy is no different, in my opinion, because we didn’t test there.”
Based on what you know now, how do you think the COT will react to competition at Indy?
“I think the COT performs well on smooth race tracks and will run well at Indy. It’s a great place for the COT to shine. Our Impala SS ran extremely well at Pocono and Loudon so our flat track program gives us a lot of optimism going into this weekend. It’s the first week back after a weekend off and a lot of teams put a lot of effort into Indy. We try not to put any more effort into Indy than we do any other race. Some teams try harder for Indy but we, overall, try as hard as anybody and I think that’s the right approach. Indy is one of those places where I feel we can be successful.”
Is Indianapolis a big momentum race track?
“Momentum is everything at Indy. It’s all about carrying speed through the middle of the corner so that you can be fast off the corner. Indy’s corners are different from any other track we race on. They’re shorter and there’s less corner. The track is perfectly smooth and you have to have really good grip to take advantage of that smoothness. If you are a little bit slow in the middle of the corner, it just carries that speed onto the exit of the corner. So, it’s very important to handle in all parts of the corners at Indy. You can’t just handle well getting in or getting off, it has to be good in all parts of the corners.”
NOTES:
• This Week’s Prilosec OTC Chevrolet at Indianapolis Motor Speedway … Jeff will race Chassis No. 246 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Cup Series stable. Built new for the 2008 season, Jeff raced this car to a sixth-place finish (started 14th) at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in May and to a fifth-place finish (started 20th) at Pocono Raceway in June.
• Jeff in the Loop at the Brickyard …
o Stat Facts … Jeff is one of six drivers on the 2008 entry list who have started every NASCAR race at the Brickyard. In 14 starts at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Jeff has posted one top five, three top10s and has been running at the end of every event. The South Boston, Va., native also captured the pole position for the 2006 event.
o Keep on Running … Of the 480 laps contested over the last three Cup Series events at IMS, Jeff spent 343 of those laps (71.5%) running in the top 15 and holds a 14.3 finishing average.
o Just an Average Guy … According to NASCAR’s loop data statistics, Jeff is the series’ sixth-best in the Average Running Position category. Over the last three events at the famed race track, the South Boston, Va., native’s ARP is 10.9. That statistic is derived from the sum of his position on each lap divided by the number of laps run in each race.
o Since We’re Talking Stats … Jeff holds the sixth-best Driver Rating at the historic “Yard of Bricks” with 98.6. The Driver Rating is a formula that combines the following categories: wins, finishes, top-15 finishes, average running position while on the lead lap, average speed under green, fastest lap, most laps led and lead-lap finishes. The maximum points a driver can earn in each race is 150 points. The Driver Rating number is used pre-race as a prediction tool and post-race as a performance evaluator.
• Change of Scenery … Prilosec OTC’s major associate sponsorship of RCR’s No. 31 Chevrolet Impala SS kicks into high gear this weekend in Indianpolis as Jeff and the No. 31 team transform their bright orange No. 31 AT&T Chevrolet into a purple Prilosec OTC racing machine for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard. Prilosec OTC, marketed exclusively by Procter & Gamble, is available in food, drug, mass, and club stores in the U.S. Prilosec OTC is available over-the-counter for the treatment of frequent heartburn, with one pill taken every day for 14 days and is the No. 1 selling over-the-counter heartburn medication.
• Chevy Day at The Brickyard … Jeff will participate in Chevy Day at the Brickyard Friday, July 25 from 9-11 a.m. in the IMS infield. The AT&T driver will provide media and Chevrolet consumers “hot laps” around the historic 2.5-mile race course. He will also race remote controlled cars, participate in a fan question and answer session and sign autographs. RCR president and CEO Richard Childress, along with Jeff’s teammates Clint Bowyer, Harvick and Scott Wimmer, will also be on-hand for the morning’s activities.
• Seven to Go … The 20-time series winner currently sits third in the championship point standings with seven races remaining in NASCAR’s “Race to the Chase.” The 12 Chase contenders will be determined once the checkered flag waves at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday, September 6. Over the same seven races last season, Jeff had a 12th-place average starting position coupled with a 15.3 average finishing position.
• Meet the Press … Jeff will be available inside the Plaza Village Pavilion, located behind the Pagoda, to field questions from the gathered media on Friday, July 25 at 12:45 p.m.
• Jeff Burton Live … Jeff will appear at the Chevy Stage for a question and answer session on Sunday, July 27 from 10 – 10:15 a.m. The Chevy stage will be located in the east lot of the Hall of Fame Museum in the track’s infield.
• The Brickyard - Fan’s Victory of a Lifetime Rolls into Indy … Prilosec OTC Victory of a Lifetime Sweepstakes winner Kathryn Cooley of Barnesville, Md., continues her ultimate NASCAR Fan’s season this weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be Cooley’s 10th race and marks the half way point of her 20-race schedule with RCR’s No. 31 Cup Series team. In addition to receiving a Hot Pass credential that grants Cooley and her guests all access throughout the entire race, they will be treated to a Hot Lap in the Official Pace Car of the Allstate 400 prior to the start of the race.
• Up to Speed … The Allstate 400 at the Brickyard will be televised live Sunday, July 27 beginning at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time on ESPN. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network and Sirius Satellite Radio will also carry the race broadcast live. Qualifying for the 20th stop on the 36-race NASCAR Cup Series tour is scheduled for Saturday, July 26 beginning at 10 a.m. EDT and will be telecast live on ESPN2.
0 comments:
Post a Comment