No. 31 team needs to be a 'touch better,' Burton says

¦Add Jeff Burton's name to the list of drivers who are pleased to see looming on the schedule this weekend.

Jeff Burton opens his title quest in the 10-race championship-determining Chase For The Nextel Cup at a track where he has four wins, seven top-five and 12 top-10 finishes. Jeff Burton enters the event 10th in the standings, 50 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson, after the points were reset to reflect a 10-point bonus for each Chase contender for a win in the opening 26 races.

Jeff Burton also holds the record for most laps led by a race winner (300 in September 2000) and the track race record (2:42:35, speed 117.134 mph - July 1999).

Not a bad record to ride into this segment of the season. Jeff Burton is part of the three-car Richard Childress Racing arsenal that is competing for the title this season.

Jeff Burton is staying busy this week with his other Chase contenders. After two days of testing the car of tomorrow at Talladega Superspeedway, Jeff Burton and the crew embark on a New York blitz that includes appearing on 'The Late Show with David Letterman' on Wednesday and then participating in a daylong media tour in New York City. Jeff Burton is scheduled to appear as a guest on 'Good Morning America', , Fox Sports Radio, ESPN's 'First Take' and a satellite media tour with the Texas media among other appearances.

Jeff Burton sees a challenge ahead. 'We need to step it up a bit,' the Virginia native said. 'This is a really strong team, and I am very proud of everyone and the job they have done to this point. From the way we have been running, I think we need to improve a little bit. We're close, but we have to find a way to get just a touch better.' He says that his team is well prepared and has some new equipment, such as the car of tomorrow entry he's bringing to New Hampshire, that he thinks can boost the effort. 'With that, we think we can step it up just a little bit, and we'll be right there,' he said. 'There are a lot of good teams who didn't make it into the Chase, so that makes me appreciate the fact we are in even more. Instead of going into the Chase and sputtering through it, I want to go in and be a force, so that is what we are trying to do. 'You have to run well in the Chase in order to compete for the championship. You can't 15th your way into the title. You can't win the thing in the first few races, but I believe you can lose it if you have a few bad runs right off the bat.'

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