Driver Profile: Jeff Burton, NASCAR’s “Mayor”

With most NASCAR drivers, you have a group of fans who are for a driver, or they’re against that driver. As popular as Dale Earnhardt Jr. is, there are those who dismiss NASCAR’s favorite son as “overrated.” 4-time champion Jeff Gordon- a NASCAR “maverick” when he burst on the scene- is still a polarizing figure. Nobody will argue there’s a “pro” group and a “con” group for the likes of Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and even Jimmie Johnson is criticized for being “boring.”

Not so with Jeff Burton. He, like maybe Mark Martin, is that rare breed of driver that every driver and every fan seems to respect- even if they don’t cheer for him. In NASCAR circles, J.B. is known as “The Mayor.” Not only is he respected for his clean racing, he’s also long been known as one of the central safety advocates in the garage. Stewart, Earnhardt, and even Gordon have a lot of respect, but there’s no arguing Burton would likely be the man drivers would turn to to be driver representative if the sport unionized. With every interview, Burton seems to show enough rough edges to be that “manly man” drivers like, but at the same time, he knows how to command respect with a certain civility and a lack of being an “in your face” kind of spokesman.

Another quality you have to admire about J.B. is that Jeffrey Brian Burton is a balanced individual. If he weren’t racing, his life wouldn’t end. Burton was born June 29, 1967 in South Boston, Virginia. Burton reportedly excelled at a number of sports in high school, in spite of his diminutive stature (5′7″, 155 lbs.). To this day, the younger brother of former Cup driver Ward Burton is a fan Duke University college basketball, plus he enjoys boating and deep sea fishing. Speaking of Duke, Jeff and his wife Kim are longtime supporters of Duke Children’s Hospital and he is one of a number of NASCAR drivers who often visits hospitalized kids.

Like most wheel man, Burton caught the racing bug early. At age 7, he got his start racing go-karts around rural Virginia. By the time Jeff hit his teens, he had won two state championships in karting. In 1984, Burton moved on to racing Late Models. In 1986, he’d won 6 races and in 1988 won 7- capturing a “Most Popular Driver” award to go with the victories.

1988 also marked the beginning of Burton’s NASCAR career, running five Busch Series races a #69 car owned by his dad John. He ran 27 races in 1989, with 2 top 5’s and 6 top 10’s, good enough for 13th in the standings in the #12 Pontiac owned by Burton Motorsports.

In 1990, while driving the #12 Buick for Sam Ard, Jeff Burton picked up his first Busch Series win at Martinsville. That triggered 4 seasons in a row where younger Burton picked up at least 1 win. His best points finish in that stretch was 9th in 1992. Burton has run on and off since making his Cup debut in 1993, but along the way, Burton has captured 27 checkered flags in NASCAR’s “junior varsity” division- good enough for 4th on the all-time list behind Mark Martin (48), Kevin Harvick (32), and Jack Ingram (31). These days, Burton splits time with Scott Wimmer in the Holiday Inn #29 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing. One little bit of trivia is that Burton briefly drove a Ford sponsored by Baby Ruth, formerly driven by another NASCAR Jeff- this one named Gordon.

Jeff Burton made his Cup debut on July 11, 1993 just a few days removed from his 26th birthday. J.B. started 6th at New Hampshire, but finished 37th driving for Filbert Martocci. His Cup career got going in earnest in 1994, when he won “Rookie Of The Year” honors in a crowded first-year class that included some 24 drivers. After driving two seasons for William Stavola, Burton joined Jack Roush Racing in 1996, where his career got a lift- finishing 13th in the points. In 1997, Jeff Burton broke out with 3 wins, his first coming at Texas in his 96th start. He also captured wins that year at New Hampshire and Martinsville- good enough to vault Burton to 4th in the points.

Burton’s run for Roush saw him enjoying a considerable amount of success around the turn of the decade. J.B. picked up a pair of wins in 1998, putting him in the top 5- he would duplicate that same finish in the standings in 1999, winning 6 races. He would vault up two more spots to 3rd in 2000, with 4 checkered flags to his credit. During this nice stretch, Burton won at least one race a year at New Hampshire (1997-2000). In 1999, Burton won both races at Darlington.

Victories at the Coca-Cola 600 and Phoenix highlighted Burton’s 2001, good enough to wind up 10th. After that, Burton would endure a long dry spell stuck on 17 wins. Though winless in 2002 and 2003, the steady driver of the #99 Exide Batteries Ford took 12th in the season ending standings. By mid-2004 Burton found himself in a team switch, taking over the #30 ride at Richard Childress. The change proved confusing as Burton began to pull ni the #99 pit in his first race for RCR. Fortunately, Burton rebounded for 3 top 5s in the final 14 races of the ‘04 campaign.

Another season would pass before Burton saw Victory Lane again in Cup competition. Burton finally broke the dry spell at Dover in 2006. The win and a return to the consistency he’s noted for vaulted Burton back into the Chase- finishing 7th at season’s end. Burton picked another victory at Texas in 2007 and once again made the top 12- though he faded down the stretch. Burton says his team made a difficult transition into the “Car of Tomorrow” program.

As we head into the last race of 2008, Burton sits 4th in points. Burton has piloted the #31 Chevrolet to a pair of wins this year, the most recent coming at Lowe’s Motor Speedway.

Burton may be on the north side of 40, but is enjoying some of the most consistent racing he’s ever had. Though he’s not the spryest guy at the top, Burton is indicating no signs of slowing and his wife Kim’s excitement at the track suggests she’s in no big hurry to have her husband home full-time. The couple has two children: Paige and Harrison.

More than once it’s been suggested that Jeff Burton may be suitable for public office. Though he’s not suggested any aspirations for politics, there’s little doubt “The Mayor” would quickly earn as much respect off the track as he does on it.