Burton a driver all fans appreciate

[blueyedfairy_1]

Burton a driver all fans appreciateby JEFF OWENS, Special to FOXSports.com
Updated: March 19, 2008, 5:37 PM EST add this RSS blog email print NASCAR fans are as loyal and passionate as any in sports when it comes to pulling for their favorite driver.

A Dale Earnhardt Jr. fan will get up and leave, or turn off the TV, if Junior falls out of a race.

Jeff Owens (NASCAR Scene)

A Tony Stewart fan will stand by their man no matter what kind of trouble he stirs up.

A Kasey Kahne fan? Well, you see from his popular Allstate commercials the lengths to which some of his fans will go just to get a glimpse of him (and those spots are not much of an exaggeration).

But there are some drivers who practically all fans like to see win.

They generally fall into one of two categories: They are such underdogs you can't help but pull them, or they are such nice guys that you can't bring yourself to pull against them. Sometimes, they're both.




Jeff Burton is one of those drivers.

With 20 career victories, he's far from an underdog. But Burton is such a swell guy that nearly every fan enjoys seeing him win.

Why?

Think about it. Who has Jeff Burton ever offended? When has he ever taken out another driver to win a race?

When has he ever spoken ill of anyone? If he did, surely they deserved it.

Burton's only fault as a race car driver is that he's sometimes too nice. His 20 Cup wins could be 30 if he had the tenacity to use his bumper every now and then.

But that's not Jeff Burton. He's Mr. Clean, a driver who would rather finish second than make an enemy driving dirty. Because of that, no driver would dare touch his bumper. That would be like picking on an altar boy.




Burton is just as thoughtful and respectful off the track. He's become the sport's new Mark Martin, the driver everyone in the garage looks up to because he carries himself with such class.

Because of that, he has become the undisputed leader in the Sprint Cup garage. When Dale Earnhardt died in 2001, there was great trepidation over who would fill his leadership role in the sport.

Would it be Jeff Gordon? Or Tony Stewart? Or Dale Jarrett?

It's Burton, without dispute.

When there's a critical issue to be discussed, the media almost always goes straight to Burton.

Why? Because he almost always has an honest, genuine, intelligent answer. He's an aspiring politician, and you can see why. He is well-versed on the issues, and he doesn't just spout off one-liners to produce a good sound bite.

He doesn't back down from controversy, but when he's critical, he's constructive and fair, which has earned him NASCAR's ear. No driver in the sport today has done more to improve safety, and that's because people respect him and listen to him.

When Richard Childress Racing swept the top three spots at Bristol Sunday, it was fitting that it was Burton who led the RCR contingent across the finish line.

Though RCR has revamped its whole operation in recent years, perhaps no one has meant more to the team than Burton. Prior to his arrival in 2004, RCR won one or two races a year but was barely a factor in the championship race.

Three years later, it put all three drivers in the championship-deciding Chase for the Sprint Cup and has all three in the top 10 again. While other organizations battle constant strife among their drivers, Burton has been a calming influence and quiet leader at RCR.

"I'm just glad that Jeff's a part of our team so we can all stay sane," says the fiery Kevin Harvick, who has matured into a consistent threat since Burton's arrival. "He keeps us all straight. He's been great for me and great for RCR and everybody involved."

Harvick fans were no doubt disappointed when his late collision with Stewart cost him a win Sunday. Stewart fans had to be livid that Harvick took their diver out.

And Denny Hamlin fans had to be wondering when their snake-bitten driver is going to catch a break.

But none of them could have been too disappointed seeing Burton take home the trophy.


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[revvinjim]

Great article and reflects the sentiments of many of us fans. I don't think Jeff Burton will make a good politician though, but by his demeanor, personality, and intelligence, he should be a great statesman.
"A statesman thinks forward to what he can do for future generations; a politician thinks forward to how many votes he can get in the next election."
Kinky Friedman