NASCAR Winston Cup Series MBNA 400 Report: #99, Jeff Burton
23 September 1997
#99 Jeff Burton, Exide Batteries Ford Thunderbird NASCAR Winston Cup Series MBNA 400 Race Report Dover Downs International Speedway September 21, 1997 JEFF BURTON RACE RECAP: MBNA 400 DOVER, DE - He's back! After spending the majority of the day on Friday as a spectator, Jeff Burton got behind the wheel of his Exide Batteries Ford Thunderbird for practice on Saturday and never looked back. He was able to run the entire race and finished in a comfortable 11th place after starting last. Due to his menacing inner ear infection, Jeff took only a few laps of practice on Friday before deciding that he was unable to continue. The steep banking on the track was wreaking havoc on his condition. Todd Bodine, relief driver for the second week in a row, was waiting in the wings to practice the car and then qualified it in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the team did not qualify as Bodine lost control of the car, and then chose to stand on its time for Saturday's second round qualifying. For the second week in a row, the team took a provisional to make the starting line-up. The good news for the day, however, was that Burton ran all of Happy Hour and said that he felt much improved over Friday. He and the team were hopeful that he would be able to run the entire race. Jeff showed up Sunday morning raring to go. Since Bodine qualified the car and Jeff was going to race, he would have to fall to the very back of the field and start 42nd on the grid. The green flag flew, and slowly but surely he maneuvered his way up through the rear of the field. An untimely caution flag thrown after he had made his first pit stop (which put him one lap down, put the team two laps behind the leaders. Burton drove his heart out, but lost several more laps during the remainder of the race. He finished the race in 11th spot, four laps down. Burton remained in fourth place in the Winston Cup point standings, 353 points behind leader Jeff Gordon and 169 out of third. Terry Labonte, who sits in fifth place had another lousy weekend, which stretched out Burton's lead. The series moves to Martinsville next weekend for the Hanes 500. By Roush Racing Public Relations