Team Roush Racing Car/Make No. 99 Ford Sponsor None Crew Chief Paul Andrews
STATS	2003	CAREER
Rank	12	3*
Wins	0	17
Top 5	3	90
Top 10	10	143
DNFs	4	35
Top Finish	4	1
*Indicates best career points finish

2003 recap
The good: Pretty much just July. Burton hit Daytona, Chicago, New Hampshire and Pocono and left with finishes of second, sixth, ninth and sixth. It was his only true consistent stretch and pulled him from 16th in the standings up to 10th.

The bad: It's not that Jeff Burton had a bad season by the average driver's standards, but four top fives and -- for the second straight season -- no victories en route to a 12th-place finish is not what Jack Roush wants to see out of the guy he used to think would beat Mark Martin to delivering him his first Cup championship. When Matt Kenseth was still racing Busch, Burton was the next big thing in Cup racing. He had finished fourth, fifth, fifth and third before entering 2001 season as the favorite for the title. He finished 10th. In 2002, he was determined to show his peers that 2001 was a fluke and they'd better hold off in writing him off. He finished 12th. After a third straight season without contending for a title, nobody has given up on Burton's talent -- but not as many are convinced he'll ever win the big trophy. Just ask the folks on Madison Ave.

Key stat: 36. That's how many races Burton ran last season -- a full season's worth. Sad to say, because Burton is still one heck of a driver, but that stat may be key considering Burton is only guaranteed 14 races next season.

2004 outlook
What needs to be done: On that note, the most important thing Burton and 99 team can do right now is secure a sponsor. Citgo signed off at the end of last season and numerous sure-things have fallen through. Burton has not helped his marketability by failing to live up to expectations. But let's not kid ourselves. He's still a threat to win every weekend and, from a sponsor's standpoint, there isn't a smarter investment available in the Cup Series right now because Burton is a guy who'll always get his name in the paper based on his intelligent takes on current issues and knack for knowing the right things to say.

Guarantee: It's a certainty that if Burton was willing to leave Roush Racing, he'd have a full-time ride elsewhere. True, he's not going to get a better gig for himself than a full-time ride in the Roush stable so his decision to wait and see how that pans out is just plain smart. Still, it's a showing of loyalty that's nice to see.

Prediction: Roush Racing is too resourceful and Burton is too attractive not to secure enough sponsorship to run 36 races. But this is a sign of the times. If a guy like Burton and a team like Roush is having this much trouble funding a ride, things have obviously gone too far. NASCAR needs to keep limiting the cost of participating in the sport.

Did you know: Burton keeps busy during the off season catching Duke basketball games.

Your take
Can Jeff Burton find a way to race 36 races next season and make the most of it? Or has he seen his best days already? Here are your thoughts on Burton's prospects for 2004.