Burton hasn't embraced evolution of NASCAR

By Tommy Keeler Jr. -- tkeeler@nvdaily.com

WINCHESTER -- Ward Burton has seen his sport change -- and in his mind not for the better.

Burton, who began racing in NASCAR in 1994, said technology has made a huge difference in auto racing.

"From '01 to now, in just those seven to eight years, it has changed big time," Burton said in an interview before Friday's Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Firefighters' parade. "It's constantly changing from week to week, year to year. It's more technically-driven.

"To be competitive you've got to be one of those technically-driven resource teams. If you're not in one of those resource teams on 99 percent of the tracks, you're not going to be competitive and have a chance to win. I don't think that's progress, but I don't know how you could stop it."

Burton, who is the Apple Blossom Festival's co-sports marshal, said another factor that has hurt the sport has been greed.

"I think the biggest difference is -- there was always a lot of money in the sport -- but I think there was a lot more loyalty in it," Burton said. "The problem is when money gets involved sometimes that overrides loyalty. I think you can be a pro-business and still be honest."

Burton said the days of single-car teams are over. Burton hasn't raced this season and considers himself semi-retired. He said he had offers to return, but none that interested him enough to put a lot of time into coming back and driving.

Instead, Burton has been helping his son get his career started. Jeb Burton, 16, is currently second in points in the Limited Sportsman series at the South Boston Speedway, the hometown track for the South Boston family.

"He had the bug early on," Ward Burton said of his son. "I started in go-carts, he raced in motorcycles. He's got a talent. It's really unbelievable for me to watch how much he's learned so quickly."

Ward Burton's brother, Jeff, also races in NASCAR and is currently in ninth place in the Sprint Cup standings.

Burton said crashes like the one at Talladega last week, in which eight spectators were hurt after Carl Edwards' car flipped in the air and hit the catch fence near the finish line, are going to happen in restrictor plate races.

"It's just the nature of the beasts there," Burton said. "It only takes one little mistake. Add in all the blocking that goes on today and the yellow-line rule and it's a wonder somebody hasn't got hurt. They have got hurt, but it's a wonder they haven't got hurt more."

Burton, who said he came to Winchester as a youth to race go-carts, came to the Apple Blossom Festival through his friendship with fly fisherman Curtis Fleming. The two met at an outdoors show several months ago.

Burton also has started the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, which is used for environmental education and advocacy, resource protection and habitat restoration.

"I had two paths in my life racing and outdoors," Burton said. "Racing is a career but outdoors is a lifetime endeavor. Outdoors gave me so much. I felt like it was imperative to give back."

Burton's biggest moment in his racing career was winning the 2002 Daytona 500. He said the win means even more to him as the years go by.

"It was just a great day," Burton said. "I should've won it in '01. We had a lot better car in '01 than we did in '02. I appreciated it a lot then, but I appreciate it a lot more now. I really thought I would have a chance to win a lot more. I'm pretty much at peace with my career. I have no complaints."