Jeff Burton hopes RCR can bounce back from California debacle
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Richard Childress Racing had a less-than-memorable outing in Sunday’s Auto Club 500 at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif., with none of the organization’s four Sprint Cup cars finishing in the top 18.
Kevin Harvick ran well in the No. 29 Chevrolet but blew an engine and finished 38th, while Clint Bowyer was the best of the RCR cars in 19th at the finish. Casey Mears was 24th, while Jeff Burton was three laps down on 32nd.
That was not at all what Burton and the No. 31 team anticipated, so now they’ll be looking for a turnaround when the Sprint Cup Series moves to Las Vegas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Shelby 427.
“Obviously, we didn’t have the weekend we were expecting in California,” Burton said. “With the exception of the No. 29, RCR was off as a whole. You always want to get your year off started on the right foot, and based on our performance in Fontana, we have some work to do.
“The No. 29 hit on something because they were running in the top 10. We’ll have to work off of that, take our best-laid plans to Vegas and hope that what we brought will be something we can run with the leaders with.”
Burton hopes his Scott Miller-led team does run well this weekend at the 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway – not only because it’s important to bounce back, but also because of the numerous 1.5-mile tracks on the Cup schedule.
“Because there are so many mile-and-a-half race tracks on the schedule, it’s really important to be successful on those types of tracks,” Burton said. “Some people say the real season starts at California. I don’t believe that. I think the real season starts Saturday in practice [at Daytona], but the way the points are paid and with so many mile-and-a-half and 2-mile tracks on the schedule, it’s important to have a solid intermediate program.
“If not, then you don’t have a chance of competing for the championship. So it’s a part of the program that we have worked exceptionally hard on, and we’ll continue to do that throughout the season.”
Burton does have an impressive record at Vegas, with two wins, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. His victories were with the team now known as Roush Racing Fenway Racing. Burton finished fifth last year at Vegas.
“Las Vegas is a track where I’m comfortable racing on,” Burton said. “I think we have learned a lot from previous races that has helped us have good starting points every time we unload there. So based on the data we gathered from last year’s event and off-season preparation, I know we’ll have a competitive Caterpillar Chevrolet.
“Las Vegas always produces great racing, and it’s a race that fans really enjoy watching. It’s a track that is fun to drive on because there are different grooves around the track, so you to find the groove that works best for you and your car.”
