Seriously, how could anyone not cheer for Jeff Burton?

Maybe during his Roush years someone could find enough faults with Burton to boo him, but it would be tough. He’s not the Most Popular Driver, but is like Mark Martin because he’s almost universally liked and respected.

Just Like Mark Martin
In fact, if Martin wasn’t so small, you could probably call Burton Mini Mark.

Burton is a fantastic driver that understands the fine balance of when to relax and when to race someone hard (Jimmie Johnson found out when Burton uses the latter). He consistently runs up front, but doesn’t win enough to draw fans’ ire. As a bonus he’s also a great interview: intelligent and diplomatic but honest without an agenda.

Seriously IN the Chase
When Burton took fuel only on the final pit stop Saturday night, he suddenly was in position to win his first race since Bristol in April.

While he’s had a solid year racking up top tens, he is the first to admit that the RCR cars haven’t ran up front enough. Prior to Charlotte, Burton had only led 102 laps all season. He added another 38 to that tally on Saturday night while scoring his second win of the season. It marks his first multi-win season since 2001 and also puts him only 69 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

While Johnson is still comfortably poised for a third straight title run, Burton is an intriguing foil.

Jeff Is On The Kurt Busch Plan
He has five top tens through five Chase races, including three top 5’s. While other drivers may lead more laps or run closer to the front, Burton is employing the Kurt Busch Plan. In 2004 Busch had a decent regular season and then caught fire during the final 10 races to win the title. Compare Busch’s first 26 races in 2004 to Burton’s 2008 numbers:

• Busch: 2 wins, 4 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s
• Burton: 1 win, 4 top 5’s and 11 top 10’s

In the Chase Busch added a win, 6 top 5’s and 9 top 10’s to win the title.

Through five races Burton has 1 win, 3 top 5’s and 5 top 10’s.

One Missing Ingredient To Be Champ?
One key difference is that Busch led 322 laps in nine Chase races, while Burton has only led two. If Burton wants to keep the pressure on Jimmie Johnson he will need to accumulate more bonus points. If he can do that and avoid any (there may not be room for a mulligan this year) bad finishes Burton could head to Homestead with a shot at a very popular victory that any serious NASCAR fan could celebrate.

What’s Your Take?
Can Burton continue his run of strong finishes? Is he due for a letdown? Can anyone catch Johnson? Share your thoughts below.“