Approach to racing is the tie that binds former teammates Jeff Burton and Matt Kenseth

¦ It started so innocently all those years ago.

Matt Kenseth became friends with Jeff Burton when both drove for Roush Racing. Kenseth saw in Jeff Burton someone a lot like himself, someone who could push him to be what he wanted to be.

From there, a friendship grew. Nothing has lessened it, not competition nor Jeff Burton's move to Richard Childress Racing three seasons ago.

It just shows itself a little differently sometimes.

"Nothing ever big, always little nagging stuff like Matt will pull up beside me and try to blow my eardrums out with his exhaust pipes, and I'll block him in and not let him out of his garage area from time to time," Jeff Burton said. "Never anything too bad."

Yes, the two most reserved members of this year's Chase for the Nextel Cup field can cut loose sometimes. The fact that may come as a surprise owes largely to their quiet natures and willingness to let the spotlight go right past them, taking the tabloid headlines with it to other, more vocal, members of the Cup garage.

Both are squarely in the Chase, yet neither has had much attention paid to him. Each has won a race -- Matt Kenseth at California, Jeff Burton at Texas. Yet they have not drawn nearly as much scrutiny or praise as some of the other contenders.

That's fine with Matt Kenseth.

"Sometimes, when we're under the radar a little bit, it's easier for me and the team and all the guys to stay focused on what we're trying to accomplish," Matt Kenseth said. "Running good is what's important to me, and it doesn't matter to me that much how much other people notice.

"Everybody has a different personality. Some people enjoy the spotlight or maybe seek the spotlight more than others. The racing is really the part I've always loved, the part I still love."

It's one of many similarities between the two. Jack Roush was the boss for both when their time at Roush coincided, and he sees several other things that the two share.

"They're both pretty strong thinkers," Roush said. "They spend a lot of time apparently measuring risks and thinking about strategies. They're both articulate. They're genuine good people you enjoy having dinner with. They're very much bookends."

Since Jeff Burton's departure for Childress, the two have had several intense encounters on the track. Two of the most well-known have come in Jeff Burton's victories the past 12 months. First, the pair battled side by side at Dover last fall for about 30 laps before Jeff Burton pulled ahead for good.

Then, at Texas in the spring, they again tangled before Jeff Burton's victory.

Both were examples, they say, of their styles and their friendship.

"We've had some real spirited battles, and we raced each other as hard as we could possibly race each other without wrecking each other," Matt Kenseth said. "That's what racing's about, getting what you can out of your car, not taking advantage of somebody else or knocking somebody else out of the way."

Matt Kenseth's crew chief, Robbie Reiser, said the relationship between the two drivers can sometimes lead to more racing room.

"I do believe Matt gives Jeff Burton a little more respect on the racetrack than a normal guy just because of the friendship he has," Reiser said.

Does Jeff Burton agree? Do the two give more chances to each other than they would to others in the same position?

"I don't think there's any question about it," Kenseth said. "There's a lot of mutual respect there. That whole team knows I'm going to do everything I can to make sure I give them enough room, and I know the same's coming the other way."

Last year, Jeff Burton's return to the elite level of Cup racing was all the buzz. This year, his place in the Chase has never been in doubt, and his mostly consistent runs haven't been nearly the story his 2006 season was.

For Jeff Burton, that's exactly what he's been hoping for.

"I always felt bad when you had mediocre races and they'd say 'That's a good finish for Jeff Burton,'" Jeff Burton said. "One of the things we strive for is that being in the Chase is normal and the story isn't 'Hey, they're going to make the Chase.' If we're running poorly, we'd rather that be a story than the other way around."

See more at www.timesdispatch.com