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Ward Burton
John Edward Burton III (born October 25, 1961) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He has five career wins in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, including the 2002 Daytona 500 and the 2001 Southern 500. A member of the Burton racing family, he is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver and NASCAR on NBC broadcaster Jeff Burton, the father of current NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Jeb Burton, and the uncle of current O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Harrison Burton. He currently operates the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, a conservation and sportsmans' organization.
Burton began his NASCAR Busch Series career in the 1990 season and competed full-time for four seasons. In his first season, he had 23 starts with three top-ten finishes, ending the season in 21st place. His results improved steadily over the next three years. For his second season, he had 29 starts with two top-five finishes and ten top-ten finishes, completing the season in eighteenth place.
Burton's third season in 1992 brought his first win on February 29 at Rockingham in the number 27 Gwaltney car owned by Alan Dillard. He completed the season in eighth place overall with one win, three top-five finishes and ten top-ten finishes. His final full-time season in 1993 brought three more wins, nine top-fives, and ten top-tens, ending up in sixth place in the final points standings. In 1995, Burton started driving for Buz McCall in the No. 95 Caterpillar Inc.-sponsored Chevrolet after John Tanner was released. He drove for Bill Davis Racing in 1996 for eight starts in the No. 22 MBNA-sponsored Pontiac. Burton did not start another Busch Series race until 1999 when he ran five more races for Bill Davis with a sponsorship from Siemens. He accumulated three top-five and five top-ten finishes including a second-place finish at Dover. He also ran one race for Innovative Motorsports and their No. 47 Chevrolet.
In 2000, Burton ran five more races for Davis with a sponsorship from Polaris Inc. and one race with Innovative Motorsports. He then ran two races in 2001 for Tommy Baldwin Jr.'s new team with a Pillsbury sponsorship.
On January 2, 2007, Brewco Motorsports announced Burton would drive the No. 27 Kleenex-sponsored Ford Fusion in the Busch Series in 2007. Burton was to drive twenty races for Brewco Motorsports and Kleenex, beginning with the Orbitz 300 at Daytona International Speedway. He was released late in the season.
Burton moved up to the Winston Cup Series in 1994. He ran 26 of 31 races in the No. 31 Hardee's Chevy for A.G. Dillard Motorsports, winning his first career pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway and finishing 35th in the standings. He returned to the No. 31 ride in 1995 but he was released on August 20, one day after finishing sixth at Michigan. The next weekend at Bristol, he moved to the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing MBNA Pontiac after 21 races, and he won the AC-Delco 400 at Rockingham toward the end of that season. Caterpillar became the new primary sponsor for the car in 1999, when he picked up a career high ninth place points finish, with six top-five finishes and sixteen top-ten finishes. He scored three second place finishes that season, at Las Vegas, Darlington and Rockingham, and on all three occasions brother Jeff won the race.
In the 2000 season, he won the Mall.com 400 at Darlington Raceway and had seventeen top-ten finishes to finish tenth in the final points standings. Bill Davis Racing switched to Dodge in the next season, when he won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and had ten top-ten finishes to finish fourteenth in the final points standings. Burton had also led the most laps in that year's Daytona 500 but retired after 173 laps after having been involved in the Big One.
In the 2002 Daytona 500, Burton drove among the lead cars and was among the lead pack late in the race. However, he took the lead because Sterling Marlin, who was in front of him at the time, climbed out of his car and tried to fix a damaged right-front fender during a red flag, drawing a penalty as repairs are prohibited during red flag conditions except for non-points paying races. As Marlin was sent to the back of the field at the restart, Burton inherited the lead and maintained it, holding off Elliott Sadler and Geoff Bodine for the win.
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Ward Burton
John Edward Burton III (born October 25, 1961) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He has five career wins in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, including the 2002 Daytona 500 and the 2001 Southern 500. A member of the Burton racing family, he is the older brother of fellow NASCAR driver and NASCAR on NBC broadcaster Jeff Burton, the father of current NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Jeb Burton, and the uncle of current O'Reilly Auto Parts Series driver Harrison Burton. He currently operates the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, a conservation and sportsmans' organization.
Burton began his NASCAR Busch Series career in the 1990 season and competed full-time for four seasons. In his first season, he had 23 starts with three top-ten finishes, ending the season in 21st place. His results improved steadily over the next three years. For his second season, he had 29 starts with two top-five finishes and ten top-ten finishes, completing the season in eighteenth place.
Burton's third season in 1992 brought his first win on February 29 at Rockingham in the number 27 Gwaltney car owned by Alan Dillard. He completed the season in eighth place overall with one win, three top-five finishes and ten top-ten finishes. His final full-time season in 1993 brought three more wins, nine top-fives, and ten top-tens, ending up in sixth place in the final points standings. In 1995, Burton started driving for Buz McCall in the No. 95 Caterpillar Inc.-sponsored Chevrolet after John Tanner was released. He drove for Bill Davis Racing in 1996 for eight starts in the No. 22 MBNA-sponsored Pontiac. Burton did not start another Busch Series race until 1999 when he ran five more races for Bill Davis with a sponsorship from Siemens. He accumulated three top-five and five top-ten finishes including a second-place finish at Dover. He also ran one race for Innovative Motorsports and their No. 47 Chevrolet.
In 2000, Burton ran five more races for Davis with a sponsorship from Polaris Inc. and one race with Innovative Motorsports. He then ran two races in 2001 for Tommy Baldwin Jr.'s new team with a Pillsbury sponsorship.
On January 2, 2007, Brewco Motorsports announced Burton would drive the No. 27 Kleenex-sponsored Ford Fusion in the Busch Series in 2007. Burton was to drive twenty races for Brewco Motorsports and Kleenex, beginning with the Orbitz 300 at Daytona International Speedway. He was released late in the season.
Burton moved up to the Winston Cup Series in 1994. He ran 26 of 31 races in the No. 31 Hardee's Chevy for A.G. Dillard Motorsports, winning his first career pole at Charlotte Motor Speedway and finishing 35th in the standings. He returned to the No. 31 ride in 1995 but he was released on August 20, one day after finishing sixth at Michigan. The next weekend at Bristol, he moved to the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing MBNA Pontiac after 21 races, and he won the AC-Delco 400 at Rockingham toward the end of that season. Caterpillar became the new primary sponsor for the car in 1999, when he picked up a career high ninth place points finish, with six top-five finishes and sixteen top-ten finishes. He scored three second place finishes that season, at Las Vegas, Darlington and Rockingham, and on all three occasions brother Jeff won the race.
In the 2000 season, he won the Mall.com 400 at Darlington Raceway and had seventeen top-ten finishes to finish tenth in the final points standings. Bill Davis Racing switched to Dodge in the next season, when he won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway and had ten top-ten finishes to finish fourteenth in the final points standings. Burton had also led the most laps in that year's Daytona 500 but retired after 173 laps after having been involved in the Big One.
In the 2002 Daytona 500, Burton drove among the lead cars and was among the lead pack late in the race. However, he took the lead because Sterling Marlin, who was in front of him at the time, climbed out of his car and tried to fix a damaged right-front fender during a red flag, drawing a penalty as repairs are prohibited during red flag conditions except for non-points paying races. As Marlin was sent to the back of the field at the restart, Burton inherited the lead and maintained it, holding off Elliott Sadler and Geoff Bodine for the win.