Five things about ... super mom and wife, Kim Burton

One of NASCAR's most admired matriarchs, Kim Burton, defines the phrase 'having it and doing it all.' But what sets her apart from today's women who strive for such a challenging existence is that she does it with such patience and balance.

Happily married to Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton for 17 years, she is raising two highly-involved children, running a sports marketing business and is now a spokeswoman for Libby's new eating at home campaign.

And as if that wasn't enough, she still finds time to clean her own house, fold her family's laundry and finds serenity in cleaning the horse barn.

Even more maddening, she does all of this while looking perfectly fabulous and fit at 40 years of age.

Ladies, here are five more reasons to hate -- I mean adore -- Kim Burton.

1. Her own cause ...

Until now, Burton has always been a cheerleader for her husband's career and charitable causes. That changed when Libby's Vegetables asked Burton to be the company's spokesperson in a campaign encouraging moms to connect with one another and get back to the dinner table through idea sharing. Burton will be at the Libby's tent at Dover International Speedway this weekend.

"Family mealtime is an integral part of my family's daily routine, but with horseback riding lessons, quarter midget racing and weekends at the track, it can be a challenge. My winning solution for making mealtime a reality is keeping meals simple, whether it's letting the slow cooker do the work or patching together a recipe with ingredients from the pantry.

"I do appearances at the track and talk to fans about becoming involved and talk about Libby's and the different economical and healthy recipes available. It's sort of like role reversal between Jeff and I. I'm now doing what I've seen him do for years with his sponsors. But this is the first time I've ever had my own thing. This is solely my deal so it's kind of interesting and I've learned a lot."

2. The business side of Burton

Kim has found a worthy cause to get behind -- families spending dinnertime together.

At first opportunity to utilize her assets and position in the sport of NASCAR, Burton went into business with George Harris, whom she met through her husband's Exide sponsor.

"I'm half owner of Pro Sports Marketing and Management based in Charlotte, N.C.

About seven years ago, Harris and I came together, but first he came to Jeff and wanted to start a business. Jeff didn't want to take it on so I said 'I will.' Seven or eight years later here we are. Our son was about a year old then and our daughter would've been six or seven years old so I was in a position to take on a new challenge. I don't have a day-to-day involvement but I have big decision involvement. I don't go to the office every day and micro-manage -- we hire good people who are very capable. But more than that, you have to be careful when you're married to a big celebrity because you can easily get lost, so I want to use my brain and have my name on something, my own identity."

Burton is also happy with the financial contribution the company brings to her family and considers it to be a good source of income should her husband decide to retire from racing.

Kim's secret to marriage is you have to compromise.

3. Marriage

It's no secret that Burton and her husband have been together for 17 years but what amazes NASCAR followers is that the couple has been together since their early teens. The courtship began when she was 14 years old and he was one year her senior.

Literally, the Burtons grew up together and have 27 years of memories between the two.

They have invaluable wisdom and life lessons newlyweds dream of accumulating.

"I think there are some people that admire our commitment to each other. I was doing a radio show yesterday and they look at you like you're green, when you tell them you've been together 27 years! That doesn't happen in today's society. My best advice for happiness would be to compromise, but you really have to have a genuine love for the other person starting out. I think sometimes people don't realize what genuine love is when they first get together. We have a genuine love for each other and a genuine want for the other person to be happy. That is so important. If you only worry about yourself and not your partner it's pretty clear you're not going to stay together. You learn pretty quickly that there are things you can do to make your relationship better and things you do that make it worse. Experience tells you what works and what doesn't."

4. Balance

Everyone in NASCAR knows that balance is one of the keys to success. Some may claim to have perfected the art of multi-tasking but finding true balance is difficult, especially when you're raising a family on the racing circuit.

Burton tends to her husband, 13-year-old daughter Paige, who has dreams of being an Olympic equestrian and 8-year-old son Harrison, who is well on his way to becoming a racer like his father.

Kim knows how to live the celebrity life, but she is also very down to earth.

"You know, I still love to do things in my home the way I want to do them. I have a housekeeper, obviously, and a babysitter I use but I don't have a nanny I use all the time or a person that is with me all the time, but I think I have my hand on every portion of my life. I don't let anyone run any portion of my life. I utilize their help but don't allow them to take over. I like to be busy because for me I'm bored if I don't have something going on. I still fold my kids' clothes and clean and pick up. My schedule is something different everyday and I prioritize and allow myself the ability to say no. I was a Cub Scout leader, a room mom for Paige, I taught Junior Achievement, but if I have to say no I feel OK saying no. I have to survive to be a benefit to my kids, my husband and business. If you're overworked and crazy then you're not a benefit to anyone.

5. Her time ...

Burton's favorite races on the schedule have to be the ones in Concord, N.C., at Lowe's Motor Speedway because her home base is just a few miles away from the track. This gives the working mother and wife some extra alone time on her back porch.

"Every now and then I'll sit on the porch with a glass of wine and a book and I enjoy that. I love true crime novels and really just reading -- I read a lot of different stuff. And as crazy as it sounds I like to clean the horse stalls. We have a small equine business and investment horses. I ride horses every day and I really like to go out and just groom them. That's my time."