Richard Childress Racing driver Jeff Burton survived a crash-packed Samsung 500 race on Sunday to earn his 19th NASCAR Nextel Cup win on the high-banked Texas Motor Speedway. Burton managed a winning pass on Matt Kenseth in the closing stages of the race.
"That felt really good - that was obviously a lot of fun. Matt is a hell of a driver. We were quite a bit faster than he was. He held that outside line and made it really tough", Burton commented on the decisive move for the lead. Burton remains second in the championship standings closed up on points leader Jeff Gordon, who finished fourth.
Qualifying was rained out in Fort Worth, Texas, which meant that drivers lined-up based on owner's points standings, while eight teams outside the top 43 went home without having a shot to qualify on speed. Gordon and Burton lined up first and second respectively, but starting position has a very limited impact on a driver's race performance.
The 43-car field was was heading into trouble right after the start, when rookie David Ragan knocked out J.J. Yeley. Ricky Rudd and Casey Mears were also involved in the car wreck.
On lap 240 of 334, NASCAR newcomer Juan Pablo Montoya collided with fellow former open-wheel racer Tony Stewart, as they were engaged in side-by-side racing. The latter went spinning, making contact with reigning champion Jimmie Johnson. Stewart commented on Montoya's attitude: "He just got inside of us and wrecked us. It's just racing, I guess. When you're a rookie you do stuff like that so it's just part of racing."
On lap 252, crowd favorite and long time race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. was rammed from behind by youngster Kyle Busch, as he slowed down to avoid Tony Stewart spinning on his own.
Staying out of trouble was a key factor for success, that that's what Burton did. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth swapped the lead in the last 40 laps of the race, until Burton made his winning move. Veteran Mark Martin took a solid third after a two-race break, while underfire rookie Juan Montoya recorded his second Top 10 finish of the season in eighth.
Next week, in Phoenix, the eighth round of the NASCAR Nextel Cup will be the third race this season to feature the "Car of Tomorrow".
Qualifying was rained out in Fort Worth, Texas, which meant that drivers lined-up based on owner's points standings, while eight teams outside the top 43 went home without having a shot to qualify on speed. Gordon and Burton lined up first and second respectively, but starting position has a very limited impact on a driver's race performance.
The 43-car field was was heading into trouble right after the start, when rookie David Ragan knocked out J.J. Yeley. Ricky Rudd and Casey Mears were also involved in the car wreck.
On lap 240 of 334, NASCAR newcomer Juan Pablo Montoya collided with fellow former open-wheel racer Tony Stewart, as they were engaged in side-by-side racing. The latter went spinning, making contact with reigning champion Jimmie Johnson. Stewart commented on Montoya's attitude: "He just got inside of us and wrecked us. It's just racing, I guess. When you're a rookie you do stuff like that so it's just part of racing."
On lap 252, crowd favorite and long time race leader Dale Earnhardt Jr. was rammed from behind by youngster Kyle Busch, as he slowed down to avoid Tony Stewart spinning on his own.
Staying out of trouble was a key factor for success, that that's what Burton did. Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth swapped the lead in the last 40 laps of the race, until Burton made his winning move. Veteran Mark Martin took a solid third after a two-race break, while underfire rookie Juan Montoya recorded his second Top 10 finish of the season in eighth.
Next week, in Phoenix, the eighth round of the NASCAR Nextel Cup will be the third race this season to feature the "Car of Tomorrow".
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