Jeff Burton: Driven Winner

Jeff Burton has been involved in motorsports for over thirty years. He is known worldwide for his talents, skills and abilities as a driver. Young children idolize him and look forward to his next race. Adults admire him.

His first experiences behind the wheel came along when he was seven years old and racing go-karts in Virginia. Even as a young child he enjoyed being behind the wheel. (Burton was born in South Boston, Virginia and is the younger brother of driver Ward Burton as racing is often a family tradition.) He won two Virginia State Go-Kart Championships before trading up to a bigger car. His talent was apparent at a young age and his enthusiasm for the sport continued to grow with his successful accomplishments.

Burton celebrated his sixteenth season in the NASCAR Cup Series in 2008. He was named Rookie of the Year in 1994 after posting two top-five, three top-ten and six top-fifteen finishes. Burton's first NASCAR Cup Series win came on April 26, 1997 at the Texas Motor Speedway in San Antonio, Texas. Interestingly, it was a first for the track as well-it was the inaugural NASCAR Cup race at the speedway.

In 2007, Burton finished seventh in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Points. Still, the year was fraught with sponsorship controversy as AT&T went head-to-head with NASCAR. In 1994, NEXTEL purchased the naming rights to NASCAR's top division. In 2007 AT&T purchased Cingular and petitioned NASCAR to approve the addition of an AT&T globe to the back of Burton's #31 car. NASCAR cited a clause in the NEXTEL contract forbidding Cingular to change either the brand or the name advertised on the car. AT&T filed suit against NASCAR, won a preliminary injunction and rebranded the car. NASCAR countersued and the court overthrew the previous ruling. Since then, Burton's team Richard Childress Racing and NEXTEL have reached an agreement allowing AT&T to sponsor the car through the end of the 2008 season. After that, Burton will be seeking new sponsorship.

Burton is a strong safety advocate both on and off the racetrack. He and his wife Kim are also heavily involved with the Duke Children's Hospital in Durham, North Carolina. While the pair make monetary contributions, Kim serves on the Board of Directors and Burton enjoys visiting children in the hospital. The second-floor interactive display at the hospital has been named the "Jeff Burton Racing Zone."