 | | Jeff Burton saw a sure top-15 finish go away in the closing laps. Credit: Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images |
By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM
June 28, 2005
11:08 AM EDT (15:08 GMT)
In a scene that's a rare one in Nextel Cup racing, Jeff Burton and about eight of his Richard Childress Racing crewmen paid a visit to Boris Said's transporter after Sunday's Dodge/Save Mart 350  |  | | Boris Said Credit: Craig Jones/Getty Images |
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Burton apparently wanted to discuss an incident on the penultimate restart in the race, when he apparently felt contact from Said was responsible for Burton spinning at Turn 3a, which knocked Burton from 11th to 30th at the finish five laps later. Said's MB/Sutton Motorsports crew chief Frank Stoddard said he heard news of the impending visit on his radio scanner, so after Said had entered his hauler, Stoddard locked the back doors. Burton had parked at his own hauler and cut directly between the trucks to the back row of the garage, where the trucks of the series' part-time teams were located. When he attempted to enter the back doors of Said's truck, they were locked, but after a few seconds the doors opened and Burton entered. His crewmen milled about without making any animated gestures or remarks, while Said's crew tended to its own business. After several minutes inside, Burton left Said's hauler and left the racetrack without comment. Some 10 minutes after Burton left, Said had changed and exited his truck to address the media |  | | Scott Pruett Credit: Craig Jones/Getty Images |
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"He accused me of not respecting the guys going for points, but he also should respect me because I'm going for a good finish and he wasn't going for the win," Said said. "My take on it was he shouldn't be mad at me -- he should be mad at Scott Pruett, because Scott went up there and turned him around and they were dead in the water, so I went up the middle." On the last restart, with five laps to go, Burton, Pruett and Said had gone up the hill to Turn 2 in 11th, 12th and 13th. Burton ended up 30th and remained 16th in the standings. "I thought (Burton) was giving me the inside, because he was just getting going, but then he came down on me," Said said. "I tried to get in the brakes, but I just slid into him. "That was my fault, but he should be mad at Scott, not me. Going up into Turn 2, they were both dead sideways, over the curbs, into each other and that's not my fault -- I just took advantage to go up the middle because I thought he was giving it to me. "That's what I would have done for him. I didn't mean to do it to him and I feel bad, but he should be mad at Scott Pruett." Stoddard, who worked as Burton's crew chief for nearly six years and scored 14 wins with the Virginian when they were teammates at Roush Racing, said the RCR's team's action surprised and disappointed him. "I just closed the doors, locked the doors and wouldn't let the guys in," Stoddard said. "We're not Saturday night racing or Friday night racing -- and I'm a little disappointed he acted that way. "But once he got over here, and everybody was calm, I opened the door so he could go in and talk to Boris. "I hate we got into the 31, absolutely hate that it happened, but you can look at it two different ways. "Jeff looks at it that we're not racing for points and he is and we should be cognizant of that. But I can turn that around and say I've raced with him for years and we've also talked about how you have got to be smarter. "If you know someone's not racing for points, they don't have anything to lose. The guy's who's racing for points has got to be the one to give a little more of a break because one spot doesn't mean anything to him. "We were a lot faster than them -- they were running 18.40s and we were running 17.20s -- and everybody else, as we came up through the field was giving us breaks as soon as we got to them. "Then again, we were in the wrong because any time you get in a wreck, it's at least 50 percent your fault. I hate we got into him, but at the same time it wasn't all our fault, because he can race smart, too. "Both of them need to go review the videotape. It might be 70-30, it might be 50-50 -- but it ain't 90-10. There isn't a wreck that's 90-10. Again, I'm not saying it's his fault, because it's not. "We were involved in it and I hate that it happened because it screwed us up, too." Biffle high on points lead Roush Racing's Greg Biffle, former Cup championship crew chief Doug Richert and their National Guard Ford team achieved a career goal for Biffle when left Sonoma leading the point standings. At least, it satisfied a short-term goal. "It sounds really good," Biffle said of his 22-point lead over former leader Jimmie Johnson. "I tell you what, this team has really worked hard. |  | GREG BIFFLE | |
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"Yeah, this does matter because we wanted to lead the points. Even if I only lead it for a week, I wanted to be the point leader (because) this team has worked really hard towards being the point leader. "I think just because the eyes and the focus is on you. We had won five races, but weren't leading the points. Now we're leading the points and we've won five races. "We wanted to lead -- we want them to talk about us and write about us a little bit and now we're on top for a little bit." With 10 races remaining until the Chase for the Nextel Cup cutoff, after race No. 26 at Richmond, Biffle is enthused to be going to Daytona, where he scored his first career victory two years ago in the Pepsi 400. "I feel pretty good about Daytona," Biffle said. "I'm taking my Bud Shootout car there, so anybody that saw the Bud Shootout -- I mean -- it was a really good racecar. "We're ready to go back. We like going to Daytona. It's a big place with a lot happening there with it being the Fourth of July and everything so we're ready." Blaney Sprints to Ohio Speed Week Dave Blaney, the former World of Outlaws Sprint Car champion who now drives Richard Childress' No. 07 Jack Daniel's Chevrolet, is getting back to his roots this week with a couple open wheel races in Ohio. "It's All-Star Sprint Week, an annual event they have Fourth of July week up in Ohio," Blaney said at Sonoma. "I'm going to run at my track, Sharon Speedway on Wednesday night and Raceway 7 in Conneaut, Ohio, on Tuesday night -- which is a place we help promote about 40 miles north of our track. "It'll be fun. I drove one Sprint Car race last year and maybe none for the five years before that -- so I'm way rusty." The competitive Blaney said he had mixed feelings about the endeavor. "I'm excited in one way, but on the other hand I haven't done it in so long I'm scared I'll be terrible in it," Blaney said. "Nobody has any mercy on you, and you hate to go to where he won all those races -- or had a chance to win 'em -- to not being very good. "Hopefully we'll be competitive and just have some fun. We're going to go to try to win the race, but who knows?" Blaney said Sprint Car technology hasn't changed much -- but not driving dirt lately will hurt him the worst. "The cars are basically the same as when I left -- the tires are a little better, the engines are a little better," Blaney said. "What is hard to do is to jump back in those cars and drive 'em -- because those things are hard to drive. "If you're not doing it every day, you're not going to beat somebody that is doing it every day -- so that's the hard part." Rookie of Year update Despite the NASCAR national touring season being nearly halfway complete, three drivers announced over the weekend their intention of competing for their respective series' Raybestos Rookie of the Year awards. Former American Speed Association and Hooters Pro Cup standout Mike Garvey, Busch Series driver Jerry Robertson and Craftsman Truck Series driver Clay Rogers have been added to the list of eligible Rookie of the Year contenders. Garvey, who is driving the No. 66 Ford, began receiving rookie points at Michigan. He joins a group that includes leader Kyle Busch, Travis Kvapil, Eric McClure and Stanton Barrett. There are 17 drivers eligible for Busch Rookie of the Year and 11 running for Truck Series Rookie. | 
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