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Carl Edwards will be rooting on his home-state Missouri Tigers.Focus on NCAA tourney varies from driver to driver
Burton dismayed, but Edwards excited about Mizzou
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MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- Friday was a gray day for Jeff Burton at Martinsville Speedway.
And that had nothing to do with the inclement weather that ultimately washed out Sprint Cup qualifying for the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 this Sunday.
It had a whole lot more to do with the fact that Burton, a rabid Duke fan, was lamenting his team's loss in the NCAA Tournament one night earlier. Facing third-seeded Villanova in a Sweet Sixteen matchup, second-seeded Duke fell hard in a contest that Burton followed closely on television.
“
If [Missouri] made it to the Final Four, it would be really crazy. I can't even imagine what it would be like if we were national champions.
”
CARL EDWARDS
"I grew up a Duke fan," Burton said. "My Dad was a Duke fan. We had tickets to Cameron [Indoor Stadium, Duke's home court] for forever. So I just grew up a Duke fan. Now my kids are Duke fans, so we're going to continue the legacy."
You think this guy can dissect what's happening with his race car? You should hear him pick apart a basketball game.
"Villanova just played incredible defense. It's one of those games where you can go back and look, but Duke never had a shot that wasn't heavily contested," Burton said. "Villanova's defense was just unbelievable. They shut off all penetration. There was no penetration whatsoever; nobody could drive into the lane.
"Duke is an outside team, but a lot of that starts by them being able to drive and then dish, or by coming off picks. No one could get off the picks and no one could get into the lane because their defense was just too tough."
Burton is one of several drivers who take great interest in what's happening in college basketball this time of year.
Walking through the pedestrian tunnel to the infield Saturday morning, Elliott Sadler crossed paths with a fan wearing a North Carolina pullover and gave him the thumbs-up. Sadler, like Burton, is a serious fan who painstakingly filled out his NCAA Tournament bracket before March Madness began -- and then, like so many of the rest of America, watched sadly as it quickly fell apart.
"Wake [Forest] losing in the first round killed my bracket," Sadler complained. "Who expected them to lose to Cleveland State?" (Continued)
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Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500
Lineup
| Pos. | Driver | Make |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Jeff Gordon | Chevrolet |
| 2. | Kurt Busch | Dodge |
| 3. | Clint Bowyer | Chevrolet |
| 4. | Kyle Busch | Toyota |
| 5. | Carl Edwards | Ford |
| 6. | Kasey Kahne | Dodge |
| 7. | Tony Stewart | Chevrolet |
| 8. | Denny Hamlin | Toyota |
| 9. | Jimmie Johnson | Chevrolet |
| 10. | Matt Kenseth | Ford |
Sprint Cup Series
Standings
| Pos. | +/- | Driver | Points | Behind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | -- | Jeff Gordon | 794 | Leader |
| 2. | +1 | Kurt Busch | 718 | -76 |
| 3. | -1 | Clint Bowyer | 715 | -79 |
| 4. | +3 | Kyle Busch | 709 | -85 |
| 5. | -1 | Carl Edwards | 665 | -129 |
| 6. | +3 | Kasey Kahne | 639 | -155 |
| 7. | -1 | Tony Stewart | 633 | -161 |
| 8. | +6 | Denny Hamlin | 631 | -163 |
| 9. | +4 | Jimmie Johnson | 627 | -167 |
| 10. | -5 | Matt Kenseth | 610 | -184 |
| 11. | +1 | David Reutimann | 607 | -187 |
| 12. | -4 | Kevin Harvick | 584 | -210 |
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© 2001-2012 NASCAR | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. All Rights Reserved. NASCAR.COM is part of Turner - SI Digital, part of the Turner Sports & Entertainment Digital Network.
