With another solid season, Burton leads by example

Year 3 of the Jeff Burton resurgence arguably was his best since 2000 when he finished a career-best third in points. For the first time since 2001, Burton was a multiple winner, with two, matching his output of the past six years combined.

Burton made the Chase for the third consecutive year and finished sixth in points. He had seven top-fives and equaled last year's total of 18 top-10s. His 12.5 average finish was tied for fourth-best, and his 30 lead-lap finishes was a career-high and tied two other drivers for second most in the series in 2008.

Wins at Bristol and Charlotte give Jeff Burton 21 for his career.

Burton had an amazing run of consistency, never finishing worse than 15th until the summer race at Daytona when a crash relegated him to 37th. He had 27 top-15s and finished worse than 20th just four times. He led the point standings for four consecutive weeks in April.

Burton went through a mid-season swoon with only two top-15 finishes in eight races that included his only two DNFs, both crashes. But he responded with a sixth-place finish at Richmond, and five subsequent top-10s to begin the Chase.

Burton had the innate ability to overcome poor start positions. He posted 10 top-10s after starting 20th or higher, and 10 times he posted top-15s after starting 30th or worse.

Burton often has been credited with Richard Childress Racing's resurgence from mediocrity, at best, earlier in the decade to a Chase-caliber organization the past three years. So it was fitting that Burton led a 1-2-3 RCR finish at Bristol in March. But it wasn't Burton's best moment in 2008.

Bank of America 500 at Lowe's Motor Speedway -- Burton's second victory of the season placed him second in the standings, 69 points behind Jimmie Johnson. It was the closest any driver got to Johnson the rest of the year. Burton led 58 laps including the final 57. The euphoria of the victory was short-lived, however.

Tums QuikPak 500 at Martinsville Speedway -- Burton was penalized one lap for pitting outside his box late and finished 17th in a race won by Johnson. He fell to third in the standings, 152 points out of the lead. And it got worse from there. He posted only one top-10 the rest of the way with a 40th-place finish in the season finale at Homestead a disappointing end to an otherwise good 2008.

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