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Diverse interests keep outdoorsman Ward Burton busy all year long

MARTINSVILLE, Va. - The changing leaves and nip in the morning air are
among the signs that have Ward Burton looking forward to the off-season
just ahead.
"I'm getting ready to slow down here in the next couple of weeks," the
avid outdoorsman said between practices for the Subway 500 at
Martinsville Speedway. "I'm enjoying getting ready to sight in a
muzzleloader and walk around the woods."

One year after making his return to stock-car racing's top series after
nearly two years away, Burton is wrapping up the kind of season he once
vowed he would never again endure, but without the sense of indignation
that once characterized his racing persona.

"I've had a blast. I've really appreciated Morgan-McClure letting me
come and drive their car," Burton said. "I knew it was going to be up
and down with the resources we have. It's like taking a BB gun to a fire
fight sometimes. ... Everybody has worked really hard and I feel like
we've done more with little than anybody out here."

Experience and almost two years away from driving have helped temper the
expectations for Burton, who won the Daytona 500 in 2002 and has four
other victories.

"I'm 45 years old, and when I was younger, I would have taken it really
personally," he said of going through a season where he made only half
of the first 32 races. "I would have been looking at my self-worth a
little bit as a race car driver."

Behind the wheel of the Morgan-McClure team's race car, Burton's passion
for racing remains, but away from the track, his diverse interests keep
him plenty busy, too. And a season that shows him 47th in points has
given him loads of time for those outside pursuits.

"There have been moments certainly full of frustration and anxiety and
being very upset about an outcome that happened on a Friday during
qualifying, but I let it go on Saturday," Burton said. "And those
weekends that I didn't stay at the track, I went home and had a heck of
a time working on some land with a tractor or spending time with my
kids, or some of both. Being older, I let it go real quick and just look
at the big picture and realize that there's some things in life I can't
fix and can't control."

Before coming back to racing, Burton dove headlong into his work with
the wildlife foundation that bears his name. Its mission is to preserve
America's land and wildlife and to teach children to enjoy the outdoors
while learning to be good stewards.

Like racing, it's a passion that helps define Burton. His interest in
protecting hunters' rights keeps him active with wildlife officials, and
the foundation, and he knows his work racing cars has helped make it all
possible.

"Racing as a career, the outdoors and connecting the children and the
stuff we do with the game department, that's a lifetime commitment," he
said. "I separate the two, but racing, without question, has allowed me
to make a difference in the other arena that I'm passionate about.
"But there will be one day that I don't put on a helmet."

When that comes is anyone's guess. Burton signed a one-year contract
with the team for this season, and the team is focusing on securing as
much sponsorship as possible for next year. Then, team owner Larry
McClure said, he'll talk to Burton about 2008.

The team is based in Abingdon, Va., away from the NASCAR hub around
Charlotte, N.C., and its struggles won't get easier without some major
rules changes. It already operates on a scant budget compared to the
multi-car teams that dominate the series.

The outspoken McClure thinks NASCAR could make things better for
underfunded teams, and create added drama for race fans, by doing away
with the rule that guarantees the top-35 teams in points a spot in
races. The rule leaves the rest of the teams to battle for a few spots,
and the ones that don't make a race fall further behind.

He'd like the fastest 43 cars in qualifying to make the field each week.
"We need to put this back to where 'Little E' would have to qualify for
the races just like Ward Burton's got to qualify for the races," he
said, speaking of Dale Earnhardt Jr., NASCAR's most popular driver.
"Let's see how tough they are.
"Let's see if Jeff Gordon has trouble, cuts a tire down or whatever and
he couldn't make a race. You think that wouldn't bring some smoke and
steam and interest from a race fan to fill up those seats? My goodness.
It would be like dynamite going off."

Without a major change in the rules, though, things are not likely to
get easier.
"It's hard to show up at a track with a one-and-a-half hour practice and
compete with that, and that's what we've done all year," Burton said.

At Martinsville, his low points standing threatened to leave him out of
the race when intermittent rain fell and it looked like qualifying could
be washed out.
McClure, whose team has won 14 races, hopes the days on the edge will
end.
"We used to smoke 'em at Daytona, smoke 'em at Talladega, all the road
courses, short tracks. There wasn't a race track that we couldn't run
good at and we weren't a threat to win," he said. "We never forgot how
to win and we know what it takes."

The hard part this year has been getting a chance to show it.

Copyright © 2007 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Whatever it takes......