Burton wins at Lowes

[Schwartz Fan]

Jeff Burton holds off Kahne to score the Charlotte win
Johnson challenges, then fades late
DAVID POOLE
The Charlotte Observer
Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008


CONCORD, N.C. - Jeff Burton knew how valuable the lead was in Saturday's Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, so once he got it he had no desire to give it up.

Burton took fuel only - and just enough at that - on his final pit stop and held off Kasey Kahne over the final laps to earn his second victory of the Sprint Cup season and gave Richard Childress Racing its first Charlotte win since 1994.

Burton also moved into second place in the Chase for the Sprint Cup standings and picked up ground on leader Jimmie Johnson, who faded from second on the final restart to finish sixth. Johnson now leads Burton by 69 points and Greg Biffle, who finished seventh, by 86.

Kahne, trying to become the first driver to win the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Challenge, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Bank of America 500 in the same year, took two tires on his final stop and gave it all his No. 9 Dodge had in trying to catch Burton. But he fell just more than a second short.

Kurt Busch finished third with Kyle Busch fourth and Jamie McMurray fifth.

Jeff Gordon and Carl Edwards both had early problems.

Gordon hit the wall on the first lap and then again on Lap 3 and had to make an unscheduled stop on Lap 9. Edwards felt a vibration on his Ford after a round of stops on the first yellow and had to come back in, too.

Gordon got his lap back when A.J. Allmendinger hit the wall on Lap 53 to bring out a yellow. Edwards' team thought he should have been on the lead lap, too, since he was coming off pit road just as the yellow came out. But NASCAR didn't see it that way.

Mike Skinner and Ken Schrader tangled in Turn 1 on Lap 64. As the field rolled under that yellow, Edwards' ignition system failed and he had to be pushed to pit road so his crew could diagnose the problem.

Edwards was still sitting with a dead engine on pit road when the green flew again on Lap 70 with Jimmie Johnson leading Tony Stewart. Edwards' championship hopes were taking a bigger blow with every moment his car would not refire. When he finally made it back out, Edwards was 16 laps down. He finished 17 laps back in 33rd.

Another Chase driver had trouble on Lap 103 when Dale Earnhardt Jr. blew a right-front tire. Earnhardt Jr. finished 36th, 45 laps down.

Meanwhile Tony Stewart, last week's winner at Talladega, had been strong to that point. He'd led early and was leading by 6 seconds before he began to slide back after the next restart. Kyle Busch had a turn up front, but on Lap 136 Brian Vickers brought his Toyota to the lead and pulled away to a lead of nearly 9 seconds.

Vickers stayed in control through a round of green-flag pit stops, but as the field completed Lap 194 several cars got together in the trioval and Matt Kenseth and Travis Kvapil wound up smashing into the outside wall.

Martin Truex Jr. stayed on the track and took over the lead with Gordon, having fought back from his early problem, second and Mark Martin third. Jeff Burton was the first car off pit road and restarted fourth on Lap 203. Vickers found himself back in ninth.

Gordon took the lead on Lap 204 two laps before Michael Waltrip and Bobby Labonte got together on the fronstretch to bring out another yellow. Gordon then stopped on Lap 251 because he'd stayed out earlier.

Biffle led until he pitted on Lap 256. Burton led one lap and then he came in. Kyle Busch got a speeding penalty as he came to pit road on that lap as did Stewart. David Reutimann spun his No. 44 Toyota as he tried to get in.

Just as that cycle of stops was ending Robby Gordon had a left-front tire give way. That brought out a yellow and Jeff Gordon, who'd come back to the lead, elected to come to pit road. The cars immediately behind him did not, so Biffle took over the top spot with Burton, Martin, Johnson and Clint Bowyer behind them for the restart on Lap 269.

The leaders were behind some cars on the end of the lead lap so they didn't have the clean air that had been so much of a factor all night. On Lap 278 though, Burton moved to the outside of Biffle's Ford and took the top spot.

Juan Pablo Montoya hit the wall in Turn 2 on Lap 296 to bring out the yellow. That brought everyone in for what figured to be their final stops. Burton's crew went with fuel only - just one can - trying to make sure he kept the lead and the clean air that his team hoped would help him hold the lead the rest of the way.

Burton did get off pit road first with Johnson second on two fresh tires. As soon as they green flew on Lap 302 Burton and Johnson went door-to-door fighting for the lead. Johnson tried to move inside to take over the lead but Burton held on. Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne, who also got two tires on their stops, were also fighting to get into the mix as the race moved into its final 25 laps.

Jeff Burton holds off Kahne to score the Charlotte win

[admin]

Burton deserved that win, he did a great job all night. Way to go Jeff, go after that Championship.

[Schwartz Fan]

...I wouldn't mind seeing Jeff win the big prize.....

[blueyedfairy_1]

I would either! Burton is just a class act all the way around!