Any word out there on who this possible part time 2006 ride is with
or what series?


Wayne Kreps
Ward Burton Fan Section
http://mysite.verizon.net/bwaaa/wardburton

On Feb 2, 2006, at 3:41 PM, arvgal wrote:
>
> from nascar.com
>
> [B]Upon reflection, Burton wants back in the game
> Year off leads veteran driver to believe he had role in exile[/B]
>
> By Marty Smith, NASCAR.COM
> February 2, 2006
> 04:11 PM EST (21:11 GMT)
>
>
>
>
> SOUTH BOSTON, Va. --- Ward Burton, never one to sugarcoat things, is
> quite matter-of-fact when reasoning his yearlong absence from NASCAR
> competition:
>
> The phone didn't just sit idle. He had opportunities to get back in
> the seat. Just couldn't get excited about any of them. So he held out.
>
> He was a Nextel Cup Series driver, damnit. Anything less was
> unacceptable.
>
> But as one of the most active Silly Seasons in recent memory came and
> went without resolution, Burton began to realize something: Some of
> this is my fault. It's not just going to fall in my lap.
>
> "There were a few offers," Burton said. "It wasn't as good as I'd
> have liked, and some of that is my fault, not being as proactive as I
> needed to be and relying on other people to do things for me.
>
> "I didn't take time within the racing fraternity as I should have."
>
> That's not to say it was time wasted. Quite the contrary, in fact.
> Burton spent the year working on land conservation projects and
> spending considerable QT with his wife and children.
>
> "I needed a little bit of a breather to collect my thoughts and get
> my direction in my life the way I want it to go," Burton said. "So I
> think having a year to spend time with things I'm passionate about
> has been really good for me."
>
> Figuratively speaking, he hit the reset button.
>
> "The loss of that year made me realize how much I love the sport,
> like the competition, like the camaraderie and intermingling with the
> fans, building sponsor programs, all of it," he said.
>
> "Getting a year behind me and not being at Daytona, I just missed
> that a lot. I have the itch to get back and do what I know I can do
> well -- drive a race car."
>
> Easier said than done. Anyone that knows NASCAR knows it is the
> consummate out of sight, out of mind business. Just walking back in
> after a year off is difficult for everyone, impossible for some.
>
> Burton is committed. He plans to be more visible at the racetrack in
> 2006, and is discussing possible sponsorship opportunities with
> NASCAR's brass and other industry movers and shakers "so I can bring
> something other than just myself to a team."
>
> That could be essential. Money talks these days. Burton's quest would
> be far less strenuous were he able to offer sponsorship dollars as
> part of the package.
>
> He is uncertain just how many offers have already come his way, but
> knows of just one hat that currently holds his name. And that team is
> a project.
>
> Amazing. Four years ago, Burton won the Daytona 500, he's one of
> NASCAR's most popular drivers, especially among core fans, and his
> lone employment opportunity is with a start-up team that may or may
> not ever so much as crank an engine?
>
> "I know my name's been put in the hat. It would be part-time '06,
> full-time '07," Burton said of the potential ride. "It's not always
> easy to find a sponsor that will support a Nextel Cup team the way it
> needs to be supported, so it takes a while.
>
> "It's going to have to be the right sponsor, the timing has to be
> right. It's not an easy thing to accomplish."
>
> Burton cited financial backing and resources as other reasons he's
> been reluctant to align with a team to date. Once again, anyone that
> knows NASCAR knows the driver is but one small variable in a complex
> equation.
>
> "The nature of the sport, and how it's changed, has made the driver
> more dependent than he was, even six or seven years ago, on his
> support group," Burton said. "So acknowledging that, I think you have
> to be a little more selective on what you're willing to do and not do.
>
> "There's no guarantees in this sport, but I do want to feel like I
> have a fighting chance before I get there. I just don't feel like
> I've gotten the opportunity I've needed to come right of the box with
> the kind of support it takes."
>
> Many industry experts felt he would get a shot at Hall of Fame
> Racing's No. 96 Chevrolet. He didn't.
>
> "I think Tony [Raines] is a good guy and can do a good job. I think I
> could do a better job, but people like to find someone who can be the
> next whoever," Burton said.
>
> That begs the question, how significant has the youth movement been
> in limiting Burton's progress?
>
> "I think, certainly, it has been [a factor]," Burton said. "The car
> owners are doing tryouts and developing drivers.
>
> "It's different than it was when myself and my brother [Jeff] and
> [Joe] Nemechek and Jeff Gordon and Steve Grissom came from the Busch
> Series to the Cup Series. The nature of that has changed quite a bit.
>
> "It can definitely be a hindrance. I don't think there's any question
> about that."
>
> Raines, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Travis Kvapil, Martin Truex Jr.,
> Denny Hamlin, J.J. Yeley, David Stremme, Reed Sorenson and Brent
> Sherman have all landed Nextel Cup Series jobs since Burton last
> graced the track.
>
> Upon further review, the Busch Series doesn't look so bad.
>
> "I think having had a little bit of time to reflect on it, it's a way
> to get back out there and start meeting some of the new people in the
> sport, do a good job on and off the track and have some fun," Burton
> said. "Most people know I'm not ready to just put the helmet in the
> closet.
>
> Inside the Numbers
> Ward Burton's Cup career
> Year Starts W T5 T10
>
> 1994 26 0 1 2
> 1995 29 1 3 6
> 1996 27 0 0 4
> 1997 31 0 0 7
> 1998 33 0 1 5
> 1999 34 0 6 16
> 2000 34 1 4 17
> 2001 36 1 6 10
> 2002 36 2 3 8
> 2003 36 0 0 4
> 2004 34 0 0 3
> Totals 356 5 24 82
>
>
> "I'm willing to do what I have to do."
>
> And be certain, this is about racing. Burton is a conservative
> spender and has a solid nest egg stashed away. He doesn't need the
> money. He needs the rush.
>
> "Naw, hell naw. It's not about money. Never was, never has been,"
> Burton said. "I don't think, for the most part, any of us are out
> there just for the money. It is an added attraction, no doubt,
> because we all have to make ends meet. But it's not about money.
>
> "I don't know how you determine somebody's rich or not. I don't
> consider myself rich. But the sport's allowed me to do a lot of
> things I would've been able to do without the sport. With all the
> federal programs we've been involved with and conservation and being
> a spokesperson for this or that, being on the board of game and
> fisheries, all that stuff.
>
> "I owe the sport of NASCAR all that. Because really, when it comes
> down to it, I'm just a country Virginian that's been real lucky to
> have some success in racing."
>
> And he's ready to reestablish it.
>
> The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.
>
>
>
>
>
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