W. Burton follows advice, changes driving style

BROOKLYN, Mich. - Ward Burton got where he is in his racing career by doing what he knows best: mashing the gas.

His aggressive style suited well for most of his career, helping him to five victories and seven poles in NASCAR's top division.

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But these days, in the era of aerodynamic dependence, driving it as deep in the corner as possible - and then some - doesn't work. And Burton has been forced to adjust.

"The sport has changed so much that I'm having to adjust some driving skill and having to adjust the car in different ways than ever before," Burton said. "I'm actually getting help from of our teammates in the Hendrick stable, in some of his driving technique. He's been really successful.

"I'm not going to sit here and put all the blame on me for why we're not doing better. But I do think I have to be open-minded enough to say it's something I'm working on and feel like I can get there. I've got to get the car there, too."

Friday at Michigan International Speedway, Burton used the new technique to help him qualify the No. 0 Chevrolet in 14th for Sunday's DHL 400. That's not an overly impressive number, but it's Burton's fifth-best qualifying effort of 2004.

Burton's Haas CNC Racing team is affiliated with the powerhouse Hendrick Motorsports team, as Hendrick supplies engines to the team. And one of Hendrick's drivers, Jimmie Johnson, supplied some invaluable information to Burton.

Johnson was somewhat of an odd source, for he and Burton tangled at New Hampshire International Speedway last year, leaving Burton in a foul mood.

	Burton sits 21st in the points after 14 races. Credit: Autostock

"We got into a skirmish, and I was pretty angry with him last year at New Hampshire," Burton said. "It's kind of funny how someone that I was that angry at now has turned into an ally. I really appreciate what he's getting ready to start helping me do."

Burton didn't want to reveal exactly what Johnson suggested, but there's little doubt it's got to do with how to approach getting into the turns.

"It's mainly throttle and braking and not ruining the height of your front valence," Burton said. "Without saying a whole lot more - when I find it, I don't want to give all the damn thing away."

Burton was told he was one of the fastest drivers at the end of the front straightaway during qualifying, unofficially hitting 207 mph. He wondered if he was the fastest but then throttled back.

"It may be a case with the driver driving in a little bit too deep," Burton said. "I'm not certain. I noticed that some of the habits that got me here to Cup were from driving the hell out of racecars.

"Driving the hell out of a racecar doesn't make you go fast today. It's a thin line between driving too hard and not driving enough."

Burton has never had a problem with not driving enough in his 11-year career. He's always shown plenty of speed, but the best Burton has finished in the points has been ninth for Bill Davis Racing in 1999.

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Burton switched to Haas CNC last year, joining crew chief Tony Furr. There have been flashes of speed but only two top-10 finishes, both coming this year.

One of those was a 10th at California Speedway, a twin to MIS' 2-mile, D-shaped oval.

"We're making progress," Burton said. "We're not there yet. We're a 12th-17th-place car just about every week. We've given a lot of points away through our own making and some finishes away that we should've earned.

"At the same time, we've done a relatively good job of keeping our nose clean and staying out of trouble. We need to continue doing that. We just need to step up a little with the performance of our cars and the speed and all that."

And Burton needs to step up - or back down - his driving.

Sometimes, however, it's hard to teach an old dog new tricks.

"I'm not old though," Burton said with a smile.