Jeff Burton says he's not surprised that Carl Edwards is doing so well in the No. 99 Ford. Credit: Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Conversation: J. Burton

NASCAR veteran says scheduling, expansion a tough balance

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- Jeff Burton is a realist of the highest degree, and tells it like it is like no one else in the NASCAR garage.

	Inside the Numbers Carl Edwards and Jeff Burton so far this season Race Burton Edwards Daytona 29 12 Fontana 19 5 Las Vegas 17 14 Atlanta 15 1 Bristol 26 36 Average 21. 2 13.6

So when the East Tennessee sky opened up and completely washed out Saturday's schedule of events at Bristol Motor Speedway, Burton hung out with a small group of reporters, including NASCAR.COM'S Marty Smith, to discuss the hot topics of the day -- namely the complexion of the Nextel Cup schedule in years to come and his thoughts on his former team going to Victory Lane.

Q: You're always a pretty chilled-out guy, but you seem happier this year, more relaxed.

Burton: I am happy. A lot of people are trying to put a lot of pressure on our team for the success the 99 (Carl Edwards) has had. I just don't feel that. When I left Roush, I knew that team was coming together and there was no question in my mind that team was going to succeed, and it doesn't surprise me that they are succeeding.

And it also doesn't surprise me that we're going to succeed. I see the big picture. When I went to Childress, I went there for the big picture. I went there thinking about long-term in a lot of ways, and we're building Richard Childress Racing to be a perennial championship-contending team, whichever team that is in a particular year.

And I really believe that. I see the things that are going on, see the effort and the dedication and the processes that are there, and I'm very at ease. I want it to happen right now.

But at the same time, we can't push so hard to try to make things that happen we create problems for ourselves. I'm really comfortable with what's going on. I see the success coming, I see the improvements we've made, and I'm cool with all that.

It's got to have a point where the effort and the processes and the people, including myself, all put it together and have results. And that certainly has to happen. I see it all there, and I'm very relaxed with it.

Q: You're from South Boston, Va., and with the Cup Series going to Martinsville next week, in today's expanding times what's your take on Martinsville's status to keep both races?

Burton: Well, I certainly would love to see both races stay at Martinsville, but I don't see that happening long-term. I see a day when we run one race at Martinsville. I really hope we never lose both races there.

I think Martinsville has a place in our sport, and certainly don't want to lose both races there. But I can see losing a race there, and it moving somewhere else.

And I see it happening in the not-so-distant future. I'm not pulling for that, and I'm not hoping for that, but realistic side of me sees that as a real possibility.

Q: Why do you think that could happen?

ConversationBurton on his move to RCR and this weekend's race at Martinsville Sign up for TrackPass now BUY YOUR NEXTEL DRIVER PHONE

Burton: Well, if you look at TV ratings and you look at the number of people that can go to the event, and look at the area where people have for lodging and those kind of things, it comes up short of a lot of other places.

And I'm disappointed about all that, and again, I don't want to lose a race at Martinsville. But from a realistic standpoint, I just don't see us keeping two there for a long period of time.

Q: NASCAR's made a great push to get on the West Coast more, but Fontana didn't sell out. Is that market getting diluted?

Burton: I don't know that the West Coast market is getting diluted. I don't know that. I mean, we go to Vegas and it's a great crowd. Phoenix is a great crowd. That LA market is a tough market, and I think that a little bit too much emphasis has been put on the LA market.

TV ratings were good, it just wasn't sold out. I don't know. I do think if there were a race in the Seattle area, assuming it wouldn't rain, it would be a well-attended race.

If there was a race in Oklahoma somewhere, that would be a well-attended race. I can't speak specifically for California, but I don't think the West Coast is diluted, not by any means.

Q: How difficult would it be for you guys if we were, basically, down to one half-mile track for the entire season?

Burton: Again, I'd hate to see that happen. I don't know that we need to have more than one half-mile (track), but we need another Richmond. God, I hope somebody has the wisdom, if they're going to build a racetrack somewhere, to build a track more like Richmond.

We don't have to have 1.5-mile racetracks to put enough grandstands and have good racing. The racing's better at Richmond than it is at the mile-and-a-halfs. There's something about having a mile-and-a-half (track) that makes people happy.

Q: IRL money?

Burton: Well how much does that cost you? (laughing). I mean, I'm not being disrespectful, but the bread and butter is in this deal. Now, things evolve and things change, there's no doubt about that.

But to me, if I were building a racetrack, I'd look at it and say, 'OK, what can we do?'

I'd try to have a Truck race. I'd try to have a Busch race. I'd try to have a Cup race. And I'd have races that are well attended and watched on television, and right now that's not the IRL. No disrespect intended.

Q: Is that what you want to see in New York?

Burton: Without a doubt. Without a doubt, that type of racetrack --- a Phoenix-type racetrack or a Richmond-type racetrack. This sport needs to continue to have short tracks.

The No. 31 team hurries to get its driver back on track. Credit: Autostock

And you can have a short-track race on a mile racetrack, if it's the right type of racetrack. One of the best races we had all year was Rockingham. And unfortunately it got put in a bad spot.

But we need to really look at the type of racetrack -- not we, they need to look at the type of racetrack that they build so that the racing's good. It needs to be a really, really, really good race.

Q: You've run a couple 1.5-milers already, going to Texas, some of what you've learned over the past few races should apply, shouldn't it?

Burton: I think it should apply. We feel good about that. We ran top-10 at Atlanta all day, but late in the race had a problem and didn't finish well. We ran top 10 in Vegas all day and had a problem late and didn't finish well.

We've got to quit that happening. But I feel really good about our big track program now. I really do, I think it's headed in the right direction.

Q: Why doesn't Kentucky Speedway get a Cup date?

Burton: I don't know the reason why. That is a race that, when the Busch cars go there, is sold out every time. Nashville is a good market, too. I do know that there's an effort to get more spread out, and not have so many races concentrated on the East Coast.

But if you did look at Martinsville, for example, and putting a race in Kentucky or Nashville, that might make sense in the short term, I don't know.

Q: Do you see Darlington in the same light you see Martinsville?

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Burton: The day that they take Darlington completely off the schedule is the day I'm going to really be sick. I just ... you can't take Darlington off the schedule.

I don't care if nobody comes. There's a part of this sport that has to have respect for history and for heritage, and as far as I know Darlington was the first big, paved racetrack that we went to. And we need to keep that.

And I'm not saying that just because I run well there. I'm saying that because, to me, that is the history of our sport. It is the history of this type of racing, whereas a few years ago, 15 years ago, the roots of our racing was, perhaps, a short track. Perhaps it was a Martinsville.

But today, if you look at modern racing, I think that Darlington has had a huge impact on our sport, much like Daytona. To lose Darlington would be a disaster, in my opinion, for the history and the heritage of our sport.

Q: The impound rule: lack of practice time, etc. Good thing? Bad thing? Or is the jury still out on it?

Burton: Well it's the same for everybody, first of all. I think that it opens the doors for us to do better things in the future with time at the racetracks. For example, we could have come in on Friday and had an open test, then come in on Saturday and have an hour-and-a-half practice and qualify, and race on Sunday, and just get rid of testing.

That has a lot of merit to it. It opens the door to coming in and running two-day shows, and getting some expense out of it. Now, right now, there's no great advantage in doing it, this is no huge cost-saving thing.

But the thought and process of it opens the door to do a lot of things we couldn't do before, that I think has a lot of merit.