The Questions With Jeff Burton

What was your welcome-to- NASCAR moment?
Joe Nemechek and I got into a scuffle during a race. Afterward a NASCAR official pulled us into his trailer. He explained that NASCAR was here before us, and it would be here after us if we didn't play the game right.

What was your most embarrassing moment?
Once, when I was qualifying at Rockingham, I spun out leaving the pits. I destroyed my car before I even made it around the track.

Your favorite off-day activity?
The older I get, the more I enjoy doing things with my kids. My daughter [Paige, 11] loves riding horses, and my son [Harrison, 6] is into riding his go kart and playing basketball.

If I were commissioner for a day, I'd
... award franchises to 43 teams that would be in every race. We have many more funded teams hoping to run the full schedule but with only 43 starting spots, each week several teams don't qualify.

LAST WEEK
Burton finished fourth at California Speedway's Auto Club 500, moving him up to second place in the Nextel Cup standings.

THIS WEEK
Burton is preparing for a March 11 race at newly renovated Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where he took seventh last year.