Team: Bill Davis Racing
Car/sponsor/make: No. 22 Caterpillar Dodge
| |  |
| | Burton |
|
STATS
|
Year
|
Rank
|
Wins
|
Poles
|
Top 5
|
Best finish
|
|
2002
|
25
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
First, Twice
|
|
Career
|
|
5
|
7
|
24
|
First, 5 times
|
2002 recap
The good: For Burton, the good amounted to his two victories, one at Daytona and the other in New Hampshire. Outside of them, he notched just one top-five -- a fifth-place effort at Martinsville.
Season highlight: Burton's season highlight was probably his career highlight -- winning the Daytona 500. Burton came from a 19th-place start
to the improbable victory after Jeff Gordon wrecked late and Sterling Marlin was penalized his lead after working on his car during a red-flag stop.
The bad: After winning that race, though, Burton posted 14 finishes outside the top-30 and dropped from first after the first race of the
year to 25th at season's end. Burton's average finish was a little worse than 24th, and he had to use three provisionals to make races.
Season lowlight: The month of September marked a lowlight. After posting a 38th-place finish at New Hampshire that month, Burton followed up with a pair of last-place finishes in the next two races.
|  |
| Ward Burton kicked off the 2002 season by winning the Daytona 500. |
Key stat: $4,809,384. Despite finishing 25th, only two other drivers made more money from regular season races in 2002. Mark Martin and Jeff Gordon were the only two drivers to top $4.8 million.
2003 outlook
What needs to be done: Burton had engine failures, pit problems, bad luck and all kinds of other problems during the year. First, his team -- from pit crew to engine builders to fabricators, and everyone in between, has got to commit to reducing error. Then, it will be up to Burton to try to
return to the success he enjoyed in 1999 and 2000 -- when he finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in the standings.
Prediction: Burton goes into 2003 with a new crew chief and a new outlook. He's got a knack for winning big races (Daytona 500, Southern 500) and will likely notch another victory in 2003.
Your take
Can Burton recapture the magic of years before, while maintaining his ability the last two years to win the big races? Or will he be resigned
to another sub-20 finish? Here are your thoughts on Burton's prospects for 2003.
Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
