Feast or famine

Burton baffled by season full of inconsistency

When Ward Burton hurled his heat shields at Dale Earnhardt, Jr., last Saturday night at Bristol, he could've been subconsciously targeting his 2002 season.

He wasn't, of course. Anybody who was listening to Burton's radio frequency knows exactly just how hot he got (it had nothing to do with introspection, or in-car temperature), and it likely was an expensive tantrum. Expect, any hour now, the monetary toll from NASCAR.

Well, here's hoping the cathartic benefit outweighs the fine, because Burton, you see, has had one of those seasons. One where Murphy's Law could replace his name decal just above the driver's window -- verbatim.

"We're either battling for the win or we're trying to stay on the lead lap this season," Burton said heading into this weekend's Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. "There's no in-between."

A microcosm to date: A seventh-place finish at Atlanta, the season's fourth event, was followed by a wreck-marred 31st in the spring race at Darlington. A few weeks later, following back-to-back-to-back competitive results at Martinsville (14th), Talladega (15th) and California (18th), Burton & Co. reeled off consecutive May-June stinkers at Richmond (30th), Charlotte (42nd), Dover (37th), Pocono (33rd), Michigan (42nd) and Sonoma (40th).

Not all of those finishes were the No. 22's fault. But through 24 events, Burton's average start is 22.3. His average finish is 24.7.

"I don't know how you can go week to week and be so radically different and so inconsistent," said team owner Bill Davis, who, on Tuesday, announced plans to replace Burton's present teammate, Hut Stricklin, with Kenny Wallace for 2003.

Burton's mystified, too, at his record, although he has looked inward; he says he hasn't provided the correct feedback at some longer tracks, and that the team hasn't been able to establish a reliable working baseline.

"It used to be we could be horrible the first of the race and make adjustments and come back and run in the top five and have a shot at winning," Burton said. "Very rarely can we do that now. I don't have any answers to it right now."

The consistency bugaboo didn't start this season, either, according to Burton, who finished a career-high ninth in the 1999 Winston Cup points race, dropped to 10th in 2000 and 14th in 2001.

But this is really why 2002 has been so maddening: Burton has two victories this season, the Daytona 500 and the New England 300 at New Hampshire. Other drivers with two or more wins stack up like this in the current points standings: Sterling Marlin (two) is first. Tony Stewart (three) is fourth. Jimmie Johnson (two) is fifth. Bill Elliott (two) is eighth. Matt Kenseth (three) is ninth. Dale Jarrett (two) is 10th.

Burton ranks 27th.

"[Crew chief] Tommy [Baldwin] and I have got to figure out how to get back to a baseline," he said. "If we're a 20th-place car, then we need to be a 20th-place car and not turn into a 40th-place car. I think in some areas we need some help to figure it out."

That likely means overtime for all Bill Davis Racing engineers, shop personnel, chassis and handling specialists, not that it's not already happening. And the most unfathomable factor to Davis has been parts, not people.

Engine failure nailed Burton at the first Michigan event and at Sonoma. Drive shafts broke at Chicago and Richmond (when he was leading). Accidents knocked him out at Texas, Charlotte and last week at Bristol.

"It hasn't been car preparation," Davis said. "Stuff hasn't fallen off the car. We've just had goofy stuff break. We keep breaking drive shafts, crank shafts and transmissions. We were driving off at Richmond in great shape, certainly with a car that could have been in position to win the race. Then we broke a drive shaft.

"It's been a pretty goofy deal, and I don't have an explanation. I wish I did."

Perhaps this weekend will provide panacea. Burton is the defending champion of the Southern 500, the fourth and final race of NASCAR's unofficial grand slam. (For the uninitiated, the others are the Daytona 500, the Coca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400).

Burton holds the qualifying record at Darlington, which he set in 1996, and he also won the spring 2000 race. He's at home on one of NASCAR's most cantankerous tracks, yet right now he probably feels like he's never even aced one of those free weekly drawing with a business card lunches at his local Halifax, Va., diner.

"I can't remember us ever going to Darlington and running terrible," Davis said. "I think we've always gone and run well."

Oddly enough, that Daytona 500 win may prove to be a mixed blessing. Instead of using it as a springboard, Burton and his team seemingly have plunged into a dry pool.

Davis thinks he knows why -- too much internal pressure.

"We certainly got off to an unbelievable start, and then when it didn't go like we thought, I think it was much harder on us confidence-wise," Davis said. "Everybody playing on the same team and pulling in the same direction. I think the trouble we had in the first three or four races really hit us hard. It's not enough to win a race."

"We know how to win now," Burton said. "We've just got to get back to running consistent now."

Denise N. Maloof covers NASCAR for CNNSI.com.

 

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