Burton pilots Kleenex / Jewel-Osco Ford to 22nd in USG Durock 300

Veteran qualifies 12th; falls victim to handling issues

Joliet, IL (July 14, 2007) … Ward Burton made his first ever NASCAR Busch Series start at the Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday afternoon, and piloted the #27 Kleenex / Jewel-Osco Ford Fusion to a 22nd-place finish.

Burton, a veteran of over 150 NASCAR Busch Series races, was also working with Crew Chief Newt Moore for the first time this season at Chicagoland. The combination began with practice on Friday and worked very hard to establish a good race package and set up for the Kleenex / Jewel-Osco Ford. In qualifying on Saturday morning, Burton was the 41st driver to make his run against the clock. The veteran responded with a fast lap of 30.507 seconds / 177.009 mph to earn the 12th-starting position for the 200-lap, 300-mile event.

With the USG Durock 300 an impound race for the Busch Series, teams would have to start the race on the same setup and they qualified. However, Crew Chief Newt Moore had adjustability built into the setup on the #27 Kleenex / Jewel-Osco Ford and the team had high hopes for a strong performance.

Early in the race, Burton maintained his track position in the top fifteen; however, on lap 19 the veteran reported to Moore that his car became “loose entering the corners”. With constant encouragement from atop the pit box, Burton tried adjusting his line on the track in an attempt to improve the handling. At the fifty lap mark, Burton was running 21st and reported that his car was now “tight everywhere”.

On lap 57, Burton made his first pit stop of the race under green flag conditions for four tires, fuel, and a major track bar adjustment. After this cycle of green-flag stops, Burton was running in the 26th position. On lap 65, the veteran driver “brushed” the outside wall and put a “Chicago stripe” on the right side of his Kleenex Ford. However, he was able to continue racing until the caution waved on lap 79 for debris. Burton would come to the pits for tires, fuel, repair to the right front fender, and chassis adjustments. He would restart 30th on lap 84.

Ten laps later, Burton reported that his car was “tight in the middle of the turn and off, plus wouldn’t rotate under throttle”. When the next caution waved on lap 96, Burton came to the pits for tires, fuel, wedge and track bar adjustments. At the halfway point pf the race, Burton was running 29th.

During the second half of the event, Burton continued to battle his “ill-handling” Kleenex Ford, but did manage to gain several positions in the running order. Crew Chief Newt Moore and the Kleenex Team kept making adjustments during each pit stop, but the hill was too high to climb and Burton took the checkered flag in the 22nd position.

“My hat’s off to Newt and the Kleenex Team for all their hard work on this car,” Burton stated. “It just seemed that, no matter what changes were made, I couldn’t drive the low line and the car wouldn’t rotate under throttle. It was a handful most of the race.”

“It’s always difficult to establish a communication and understanding of a driver the first time you work together,” Moore added. “Ward kept after it, but we just never seemed to get him a setup that he liked. We all felt as though we’d be very competitive after our qualifying run, but it just didn’t work out that way.”

Next race for the Kleenex Racing Team will be at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday, July 21st. Practice begins at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, July 20th, with qualifying set for 4:35 p.m. ET Saturday. The 200-lap, 250-mile race is set for an 8:30 p.m. ET start next Saturday. ESPN2 will provide live television coverage, with MRN handling the radio broadcast.

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