JEFF BURTON BROUGHT BACK WINNER'S TROPHY,
EXPERIENCE FROM FIRST VISIT TO HOMESTEAD
HOMESTEAD, Fla. (Jan. 21, 1999) - Jeff Burton took home more than a first place trophy
when he visited the Miami-Dade Homestead Motorsports Complex for the first time last
November. He also gained valuable experience he hopes will come in handy when the NASCAR
Winston Cup Series travels to Homestead for the Nov. 14 Pennzoil 400. |
Jeff Burton |
"I think we learned a lot by running the
NASCAR Busch Series race last year, and I think we'll be farther ahead than the people who
haven't raced here before," said Burton, who was at the Speedway Wednesday filming a
television commercial for his sponsor, Exide Batteries. "It was a good race to come
to for experience, and it was a great race for us because we won. It was a lot of fun, and
I think we learned a lot."
Burton started off the race weekend by wrecking in practice. He led only one lap,
catching Jimmy Spencer in the final 100 yards and winning by a bumper-width.
"To pass Jimmy Spencer on the last lap was something I didn't think we would
have a chance at. We were catching him, but I didn't think we would catch him fast enough.
"Looking back, I was lucky because I was involved in two of the best races in
NASCAR last year - me and Jeff Gordon at Richmond, and here with Jimmy Spencer."
Burton, who won both of those last-lap showdowns, is looking to be in the thick of
the battle for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship when the season opens Feb. 14
with the Daytona 500. He also hopes to be in the title chase when the series visits
Homestead Nov. 14, the penultimate race of the season.
"There's a lot of racing between now and then," he admitted. "We're
trying to set ourselves up to be a contender for the championship. If we are, coming down
here with the NASCAR Busch Series car was definitely a smart thing to do."
Tickets are now on sale for the Pennzoil 400. For ticket orders, call (305)
230-7223. For additional information visit www.racemiami.com.
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