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Jeff Burton and the No. 9 Cottman Racing Team off to a Strong Start at Darlington Raceway
Tuesday, March 23, 2004
Darlington, SC Saturday afternoon's Busch race at Darlington Raceway proved to be the Jeff Burton and Greg Biffle show. The two Roush Racing Fords dominated the 147 lap race changing positions for the lead several times before Biffle won out. Burton piloted the No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford from 17th to finish second, his ninth top five finish at the track in just 12 starts. A successful day for Burton's first outing with the new No. 9 Cottman Transmission team.
The No. 9 Cottman Transmission team started the weekend out with a bang topping the speed charts during the first practice session while in race trim. Despite problems with brakes, Burton took the No. 9 Ford out to qualify and laid down a lap time of 29.621 seconds, good enough for the 17th starting position.
Race day started early with Jeff making a special appearance and speaking at the Cottman Transmission hospitality tent. He told the attendees that he knew he had a good car in race trim and was anxious to start the race. Todd Leff and almost 50 Cottman franchisees and special guests on hand wished him well.Before the race even began The No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford was causing excitement. On the FX pre-race show – the No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford was featured in a segment that showcased the Cottman logo and noted that this was the car to watch!The field went green on lap 28 and in just two laps Burton went from 10th to eighth. Burton continued his move to the front assuming the third place position on lap 49 when the field went green after the second caution on lap 43. Burton took over the lead on lap 54 and he and teammate Biffle began to run away from the rest of the field. For the next forty plus laps Burton and Biffle put on a show, one leading then the other. On lap 100 the No. 9 Cottman team made their third and final pit stop of the day taking on four tires, fuel and making an air pressure adjustment in just 15.34 seconds. In an effort to avoid a wreck Burton stopped the No. 9 Cottman Ford exiting the pit box costing him a position on the track. Additionally, several cars did not pit, ultimately returning Burton to the track in fourth.
Burton moved into second behind Biffle but would not have enough to take over the lead. With almost a straightaway lead on the remainder of the field Biffle and Burton crossed the line one, two.After the race Jeff discussed the initial outing for the No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford in interviews with FX, XM Radio, MRN Radio, PRN Radio and numerous print publications. "We had a good first race with the Cottman Transmission team," said Burton. "We had a strong car all day and at the end there I made the wrong call with an air pressure adjustment and that hurt us. We just didn't have enough to catch Greg. I want to congratulate Greg and the No. 60 team; they did a great job today. We were equal most of the race but they got us at the end. This was Cottman's first race with us and I'm glad we could have a good run for them."Cottman is also running a “Race-to-Atlanta” Contest as part of its Cottman No. 9 Show Car program. The 18-and-over grand prizewinner will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Atlanta for the Aaron 312. Also, starting today, Cottman is offering a variety of Jeff Burton No. 9 Cottman Transmission Ford promotional items for sale on its website cottman.com, including a 1:24 and 1:64 No. 9 Cottman die cast Team Caliber car, a Jeff Burton No. 9 t-shirt and hat, and a Burton Hero Card.
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