Jeff Burton led 263 laps at Bristol. Credit: Autostock

Same song for Burton: Great racecar, OK finish

Leads most laps at Bristol, but problems drop him to ninth place

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- For Jeff Burton, like most of his season to this point, Saturday night's Sharpie 500 was good -- but it could have been so much better.

Jeff Burton improved two positions in the standings. Credit: Autostock

Sharpie 500 Official Results Pos. Driver Start Make 1. M. Kenseth 4 Ford 2. Ky. Busch 19 Chevy 3. D. Earnhardt Jr. 40 Chevy 4. S. Riggs 23 Dodge 5. J. Gordon 13 Chevy 6. D. Hamlin 6 Chevy 7. C. Edwards 39 Ford 8. R. Newman 21 Dodge 9. J. Burton 2 Chevy 10. J. Johnson 18 Chevy • Complete Results, click here • Official Standings, click here Victory LaneMatt Kenseth celebrates his Sharpie 500 victory at Bristol! Top FinishersBusch, Dale Jr., and Gordon talk about their race at Bristol Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

After a disappointing 42nd-place finish last weekend at Michigan thanks to early engine trouble, Burton came out firing on all cylinders six days later at Bristol, leading 263 laps, most of those in dominating fashion.

However, as with the other nine races where the No. 31 bunch has led at least one lap, Burton ended the night doing something other than celebrating in Victory Lane.

In the end, he came home ninth, extending his Nextel Cup winless streak to 172 events.

"We're a little disgusted with ourselves at the moment," Burton said. "We have fast racecars; it just seems like at the end of these races we don't have it as good as we need it to be."

Still, Burton was quick to share the blame.

"We are all in this together and it's as much my fault as it is anybody's," he said.

Burton had the lead when the field came down for pit stops on Lap 382. However, Dale Earnhardt Jr. won the race off pit road as Burton fell to third. On the ensuing run, Burton was passed by Kyle Busch for third, then went into the pits sixth as the final round of pit stops began 51 laps from the checkers.

He came out ninth -- where he finished.

"We lost quite a few spots on those last couple of stops, but our team was flying," Burton said. "If you look at the tapes, the guys were flying.

"I don't know what happened. I honestly don't know. I got busted for speeding [Friday] night [in the Busch Series race] on pit road, so I wasn't going to do that [Saturday].

"We had a 13-second pit stop and got beat -- by four cars."

As silver linings go, however, the one Burton left with Saturday night wasn't all that bad. He gained two positions in the Nextel Cup Series standings and is now seventh, 435 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

"There is something to be said for big-picture racing, but we can't say that's why we finished where we finished," Burton said. "We gained two positions back in the points; it beats the heck out of losing them."

However, Burton's position in the all-important top 10 with just two races remaining until the Chase field is set appears a bit precarious. He's just 15 points ahead of 10th-place Mark Martin.

Burton finished fifth in February at Fontana, the site of next weekend's Sony HD 500.

"We'll keep working and we'll keep pushing," he said. "I'm proud of my guys, but I'm disappointed at the same time. It's right after the race so I am disappointed but by Monday, I'll realize things aren't as bad as I feel like they are right now.

"I just think we have to be better in some areas -- and when I say we, I am including myself."