Ward Burton Is Back!
Burton's back
By Dan Beaver, dba Media
AVONDALE, Ariz. – How exactly does team owner Larry McClure characterize his No. 4 Cup team?
"It's been great," he said. "It's getting better and better."
Fans of driver Ward Burton may soon characterize the NASCAR season the same way.
Cars and drivers outside the top 35 in owner points are not guaranteed starting spots in the race, and the No. 4 team sits 39th in the standings. For the Checker Auto Parts 500 here at Phoenix, Burton posted a solid qualifying lap that puts him 24th on the grid for Sunday's race.
In the garage, it was almost as if the team had won the lottery, as mechanics and officials dropped by to congratulate the car owner on his driver's solid run. That qualifying lap also confirmed something for the car owner that almost is official.
After a long hiatus, Burton is slated to be the full-time driver of the No. 4 next year.
"We haven't completely signed the deal, but we've agreed on one," McClure said. "So it looks like he'll have a good shot at being back in the car next year."
Burton's last gig as a full-time driver ended here at Phoenix back in 2004 when he broke a rear end about two-thirds of the way through the event and finished a disappointing 40th in Gene Haas' No. 0 Chevy. To the consternation of his fans, Burton fell off the NASCAR landscape for a time after that.
Offers came Burton's way for rides that would have been less than competitive, and he has admitted in the past that perhaps he was a little too picky when he turned them down. When McClure and Wimmer agreed to part ways this fall, an outcry from Burton's fans was answered. McClure put the Virginia native behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chevy for a one-off race at Burton's hometown track in Martinsville in October.
more on Ward Burton and other NEXTEL Cup news
By Dan Beaver, dba Media
AVONDALE, Ariz. – How exactly does team owner Larry McClure characterize his No. 4 Cup team?
"It's been great," he said. "It's getting better and better."
Fans of driver Ward Burton may soon characterize the NASCAR season the same way.
Cars and drivers outside the top 35 in owner points are not guaranteed starting spots in the race, and the No. 4 team sits 39th in the standings. For the Checker Auto Parts 500 here at Phoenix, Burton posted a solid qualifying lap that puts him 24th on the grid for Sunday's race.
In the garage, it was almost as if the team had won the lottery, as mechanics and officials dropped by to congratulate the car owner on his driver's solid run. That qualifying lap also confirmed something for the car owner that almost is official.
After a long hiatus, Burton is slated to be the full-time driver of the No. 4 next year.
"We haven't completely signed the deal, but we've agreed on one," McClure said. "So it looks like he'll have a good shot at being back in the car next year."
Burton's last gig as a full-time driver ended here at Phoenix back in 2004 when he broke a rear end about two-thirds of the way through the event and finished a disappointing 40th in Gene Haas' No. 0 Chevy. To the consternation of his fans, Burton fell off the NASCAR landscape for a time after that.
Offers came Burton's way for rides that would have been less than competitive, and he has admitted in the past that perhaps he was a little too picky when he turned them down. When McClure and Wimmer agreed to part ways this fall, an outcry from Burton's fans was answered. McClure put the Virginia native behind the wheel of the No. 4 Chevy for a one-off race at Burton's hometown track in Martinsville in October.
more on Ward Burton and other NEXTEL Cup news
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