Jeff wins war between Burtons

Monday, March 8, 1999 | 10:13 a.m.

Jeff Burton was zipping around Las Vegas Motor Speedway at better than 180 mph, running door handle-to-door handle with his older brother and the checkered flag in sight, but very much in doubt.

And he couldn't help but chuckle.

Burton overtook his brother, Ward, after a thrilling four-lap battle and held on for the final 10 laps to capture the NASCAR Winston Cup Las Vegas 400 Sunday before a capacity crowd of 130,000.

"I'll be honest, I kind of giggled in the race car," Jeff Burton said.

"Winston Cup racing is a really big deal. Sometimes we get involved in it and forget how big it is. But with two brothers to be racing for a win early in the year, in one of the biggest races of the year, that's pretty special."

Neither Jeff, 31, nor Ward, 37, had any intention of wrecking each other as they raced to the checkered flag -- but neither was about to cut the other any slack.

"It's a little nerve-wracking running against your brother," Jeff said. "I'm a Ward Burton fan and I want to see Ward do well (but) I want to see myself do well also.

"That was a deal there where you're trying to win ... two race car drivers that are giving it all they've got -- they just happen to be brothers. It complicates the issue just a little bit ... but I was doing everything I could to win the race and he was, too."

Ward Burton had the same thoughts as he attempted to stave off the pass by his brother.

"I was trying to crowd him as much as I could without wrecking him," Ward said. "I don't want to wreck my brother, that's just all I had.

"I wasn't giving him an inch."

Ward Burton didn't give an inch, but Jeff Burton finally took it, passing his brother on the outside in turn two. Jeff pulled away in the closing laps and posted a 1.074-second victory over Ward.

While the LVMS crowd certainly was entertained by the side-by-side racing that was absent from much of last year's inaugural event, Jeff Burton said he wasn't hanging with his brother for the fans' enjoyment.

"I wished I had that much confidence in myself," the younger Burton cracked. "The first couple of laps we were side-by-side, I didn't drive hard enough and I said to myself, 'You've got to drive harder,' and I started to drive it a little bit harder.

"I was relieved when I was able to clear him because I didn't want to run 12 laps like that and I didn't want Jeff Gordon to catch us."

Gordon, one of five drivers eligible for a $1 million bonus from series sponsor Winston had they won the race, took third. Mike Skinner, also running for the million-dollar bonus based on his top-5 finish at the Daytona 500, was fourth and pole-sitter Bobby Labonte was fifth.

Gordon, who made a strong run to get to third but was still about 10 seconds off the leaders' pace, was able to close the gap as the Burtons were battling for the lead.

Seeing the three-time Winston Cup champion getting closer in his rear-view mirror gave Jeff Burton some incentive to end his duel with his brother and pull away.

"It did, (but) it wasn't because it was Jeff Gordon," Jeff Burton said. "It was because the third-place car was catching us and when the third-place car is catching you at a place like this and you're sitting there running side-by-side, it's very possible for them to make it three-wide or choose a line that you're in and make you loose."

That Ward Burton was challenging for the lead late in the race was a minor miracle in itself.

The driver of the No. 22 Caterpillar Pontiac started the race 30th but had moved into the lead by the 45th lap. Burton led seven times for 71 laps.

Jeff Burton, who qualified 19th in his Exide Batteries Ford, first took the lead on lap 92 and finished the race leading six times for 111 laps.

Five caution periods for 22 laps slowed the pace of the race. Jeff Burton's average speed of 137.535 mph was well off Mark Martin's pace of 146.554 mph in last year's inaugural race.

The worst incident of the afternoon was an eight-car wreck along the backstretch on lap 132 that was triggered when Kenny Irwin's car got loose and drifted up the track, collecting Kenny Wallace and sending his car into the outside wall.

Six other cars wound up getting involved, but no drivers were injured.

Unlike last year, when Fords dominated the Las Vegas 400, this year's race proved to be more balanced. The top 10 featured four Chevrolets, three Fords and three Pontiacs where last year, Fords claimed nine of the first 10 places.