Shh!
Go ahead and sit down. Yeah, grab a seat. The Mayor is about to speak.
“Obviously, the focus is always the Daytona 500,” starts Jeff Burton.
The 59-year-old earned his nickname during a Hall of Fame career as a NASCAR driver. He grew into a respected leader, often serving as the clear-headed voice for others in the Cup Series garage.
Now, he broadcasts for USA Sports.
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And if you want to get fired up for Saturday’s Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway, well, just listen.
“But it’s kind of different,” continues Burton, who won this event in 2000. “In some ways, this race is more challenging because it’s hotter and slicker and handling comes into play a little bit. It seems to be a different kind of race than the 500 because it’s shorter. The mileage makes a difference in how you approach the race. The intensity picks up a little bit sooner.”
It’s that mindset that gets Burton excited.
Entering the Daytona 500, hope springs eternal. Every driver thinks it’s his race, his year and his championship to lose. It’s the beginning of a marathon.
Now, six months later, with the regular-season finish line in sight?
“Reality is here,” Burton says. “There are people who don’t have jobs. There are people who clearly have an opportunity to win a championship. And there are a lot of people in between. It all merges at a time when people are tired, there’s a lot of emotion, it’s been a bad year, it’s been a good year, it’s been an OK year.
“Everyone uses this race to try to solidify themselves as a championship contender, get themselves a job or build a foundation going into next year. Everybody has an agenda, and because it’s Daytona and it’s a drafting-style track, it’s an opportunity. Everybody goes there thinking they can win this race.”
This year’s summertime showcase at Daytona features a pair of new wrinkles.
First, NASCAR is debuting a new superspeedway package. Neither the teams nor Burton know how it’s going to play out.
And second, the postseason format looks different. No longer is the Coke Zero Sugar 400 the final chance for an off-the-radar underdog to steal a playoff berth with a victory. It’s the culmination of year-long points accumulation.
“I think the race to make the Chase is going to be fascinating,” Burton says.
Five guys are vying for the final three spots. Bubba Wallace, Austin Cindric and Shane van Gisbergen currently occupy them. Ryan Preece and Brad Keselowski are in pursuit.
But Burton offers a caveat.
“Remember, we’ve had the Chase format before,” he says. “But now we have stage points (added in 2017, four years after the most recent Chase), so that means those that are trying to put themselves in a better position going into the Chase, those trying to make the Chase, everybody has to get stage points. They matter ...
“If you go back to the playoff format, how many times did we see a driver and team advance to the next round of the playoffs or not advance by one point or a tie? If you move that into this year with the Chase, if you pick up one point position and you gain those points going into the Chase, that could be the difference between winning a championship or not. One point could make the difference, and if you’re not thinking like that, you’re not paying attention. So I think the intensity level will be really high for everybody.”
How does that translate?
“Typically, that leads to good races,” he says.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Ready for the Coke Zero Sugar 400? Let NASCAR's Mayor give the pep talk
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