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Burton Pondering Racing Future

Ward Burton Was Released Monday From His Ride With The Haas CNC
Racing Team

BY JOE CHANDLER
G-V Staff Writer

Ward Burton was released Monday from the Hass CNC Racing Team,
leaving the 14-year veteran driver to face questions about his racing
future.

"What I'm going to do, because I haven't been in a competitive ride
for about a year and a half, is regroup and figure out what I am
going to do in the future," Burton said yesterday.

"I'm not ready to throw the towel in, but I don't have the tolerance
for running 20th to 40th every week and break in one out of three
races like I have done this year.

"As the old saying goes, things you can control in this life, give
them 100 percent and things you cant control in this life, let them
go," he added.

"That's basically what I'm having to do. What I do know now is I want
to be there for my family and I want to have time to get my thoughts
together and have a time reflection."

Burton said he is keeping an open mind about possible offers from
another teams, even to the point of running a limited schedule in
2005.

"If a good, competitive ride becomes available, then I would be
excited about going and doing it," Burton said.

"In today's atmosphere and this being the middle of November, the
chance of that happening, let's face it, is slim."

One thing Burton said he is not willing to do is get into a situation
with a non-competitive car and team.

"I'm not going to sit here and say I'm a great driver," he said.

"But I will say I think I'm a good driver and I think I'm better than
what I've been able to do. If I've got to go to the racetrack and the
best I'm trying to do is make the race and not wreck the car and
finish from 25th back, it's a good living, but it's not any fun for
me."

As late as last week, Burton was optimistic about improving his
situation next season by moving to another team, the identity of
which he did reveal.

"One of the opportunities we had been working on for the last couple
of months fell through last Friday," he said.

"I felt that was going to be a real competitive situation."

Burton said he had recently agreed to drive a truck affiliated with
the Morgan-Dollar Motorsports team in this weekend's NASCAR Craftsman
Truck Series race at Darlington, S.C. but cancelled that ride.

"The reason I did that is some of my family needs me, in particular,
my 12-year-old son, Jeb," he explained.

"He's going through a tough time with it. He must have asked me 200
questions last night. I need to be there for them. That's what I'm
going to do because that's my responsibility."

Burton said there was another secondary factor.

"Darlington is a place that, at one time, you had to beat me to win
the race," Burton noted, "and to go and just run a truck and leave, I
could not get pumped up for that."

The 2004 season has been a tough one for Burton.

He is ranked 29th in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series standings. He has
logged three top-ten finishes in the 34 races he has competed in this
season with the NetZero sponsored team with a best finish of fourth
at Martinsville Speedway earlier this season.

Burton also has eight finishes of 34th or worse.

Burton said he is disappointed with the way the situation was
handled, with him having a contract with the team for the entire 2004
season, and being released with two races left.

"I'm obviously disappointed in the way they handle people, me being
one of them, but not the only one," Burton said.

"I don't want to be around people I can't trust and are disloyal or
dishonest. I don't want to be around them here. I don't want to be
around them at the racetrack. Some of the folks I was with, they just
don't have the morals to have good character as far as I'm concerned."