Burton a title contender with Berrier, rejuvenated RCR

by A_Rosser14 on Feb 2, 2010 8:04 AM EST Comment 14 comments

2010 could be Jeff Burton's year (Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR)

After their worst season as an organization in quite some time, it would be easy at first glance to write off Richard Childress Racing when it comes to predictions for 2010 success.

However, a late-season surge by each of the Childress team's cars - the #29 of Kevin Harvick, the #31 of Jeff Burton, the #33 of Clint Bowyer, and the since-shuttered #07 of Casey Mears - makes skipping over one of NASCAR's most storied organizations difficult.

At the head of the returning trio is Burton. The veteran driver of the #31 Caterpillar Chevrolet closed out the year with back-to-back second place finishes and, after pairing with crew chief Todd Berrier at Talladega, finished no worse than ninth in the final four races of the season.

While the same contract talk that loomed around the team's flagship #29 machine and driver Kevin Harvick will no doubt be even more intense this season with Harvick seemingly all but guaranteed to exit the ride at the end of this season, the #31 team has stability amongst sponsor, driver, and crew chief.

It is that stability and the blossoming chemistry between Burton and the soft-spoken Berrier that make the #31 team a strong, if unheralded, contender entering the season, should they be able to build on their strong finish to the 2009 campaign.

Entering his 17th season of full-time Sprint Cup competition, Burton has proven to be a capable wheelman on nearly any track. Berrier, meanwhile, partnered with Harvick to win the sport's two most prestigous races, the Daytona 500 in 2007 and the Brickyard 400 in 2003. Paired together, the veteran duo is one of NASCAR's most potent driver-crew chief combinations.

Whether or not Burton and Berrier's partnership carries through to the Sprint Cup title will hinge on how well the team sustains its performance throughout the season.

When the #31 outfit is at its best, its ability to mix outright speed with unwavering consistency is almost second-to-none. Sustaining that one-two punch throughout the ten-race Chase for the Championship has proven difficult, however. Should the team finally manage to maintain its tradiitional clockwork-like performance over those final ten races, it could be rewarded with the Childress team's seventh Sprint Cup championship and the first each for Burton and Berrier.

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He does drive a black car.

by Troy J. on Feb 2, 2010 10:22 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

If Burton won a title that would be cool

I doubt he will though but it is not impossible

Thank you Al Davis for Michael Crabtree!!!!!

by Athletic on Feb 2, 2010 11:02 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

If Sterlin Marlin can finish one broken vertibre away from winning a Championship, Burton could win it. Burton would benefit more from the old point standing system. He’s more of a Kenseth racer. Lots of top 10s, and top 5s. Not a lot of wins. But, anything can happen. I didn’t think Mark Martin would finish 2nd in the points. I hoped 1st of course.

by Troy J. on Feb 2, 2010 11:14 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I think 90 percent of NASCAR fans or more

Would be happy to see Mark Martin win one! Seriously how can you not like Mark

Thank you Al Davis for Michael Crabtree!!!!!

by Athletic on Feb 2, 2010 11:22 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sadly I think Burton's best chance to win a Championship has already passed him by

With just 5 races left in 2006, Burton had a 45 point lead over second place Matt Kenseth, a 146 point lead over eventual champion Jimmie Johnson, and had finished in the top 15 in 22 of the previos 24 races. At that moment he seemed destined to move into an exclusive club in Nascar history and win his first champoinship.

But he stumbled to finishes of 42nd, 13th, 38th, 10th, and 14th down the stretch that dropped him to 7th in the standings. I don’t think Burton ever gets that good of a chance at a champoinship again.

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He's always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 2, 2010 5:18 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Sadly I have to agree ...

Unless RCR does something steller to their cars – if Burton was in a Hendrick car I wouldn’t be agreeing with you though.

by 4ever3 on Feb 2, 2010 5:32 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Childress seems to be falling back into that place they were about 2-3 years before Earnhardts death. Where they had one driver who was up there most races (Sr) and the rest of the team was mid packers (Skinner in the 31 and Green in the 30) Harvick has one foot out the door, Burton started to find form late last year, but who knows if he can sustain that. I think Bowyer probably has the best chance at the Chase. He’s got a full year under his new 33 team.

by Troy J. on Feb 3, 2010 9:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I'm actually not optimistic at all for the Childress cars this season

One of the things that I think will be a really big problem for them is the incoming tide of teams who did not make the Chase last year and should make run at the Chase this season. The Michael Waltrip cars made realy big strides last year, a natural improvement should be expected by Joey Logano, Jr. could make a comeback, Brad Keslowski is a wild card in that Penske #12, and does anyone really think that Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth are going to miss the Chase two years in a row?

That doesn’t leave much room for the for the Childress cars especially when you consider the points Troy made above.

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He's always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 3, 2010 2:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Hey Thanks!

So good to hear someone agreeing with you. It is the internet after all. Logano, Kenseth, Busch, Keso, Reuti, Ambrose, Truex, all those guys could make a run at the Chase. Not to mention (and I hate to say it) but McMurray could surprise some. He’s teamed with Montoya and Earnhardt Ganassi finally has things a bit settled down. You could see AJ Allmendinger make a top 15 run also. Regan Smith has Hendrick power and ran good even though he only tried for like 20 races. He could be an early contender.

by Troy J. on Feb 3, 2010 2:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Now I messed it up right?

It was the McMurray comment. It felt wrong when I was typing it.

by Troy J. on Feb 3, 2010 2:31 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The McMurray comment is fine

plus that he worked for Chip before so he already has a familiarity with how Chip does things.

by 4ever3 on Feb 3, 2010 3:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

McMurray is a weird case

He actually ran better at Ganassi (the first time) than he did with Roush so I don’t know what to expect from him. He could could be a good dark horse pick.

"Bob Gibson is the luckiest pitcher in baseball. He's always pitching when the other team doesn't score any runs." - Tim McCarver

by RhodeIslandRoxfan on Feb 3, 2010 4:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs