Racing notebook: Burtons go head-to-head, again

Monday, March 6, 2000 | 10:32 a.m.

For the second year in a row, the Burton brothers made things interesting for several laps at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Last year, Jeff and Ward Burton ran side-by-side for the lead for four laps before Jeff Burton finally pulled away and went on to win the Las Vegas 400.

Shortly before rain halted Sunday's CarsDirect.com 400 for the second time, Ward Burton battled his younger brother for several laps in an attempt to stay on the lead lap.

Finally, Jeff Burton allowed Roush Racing teammate Mark Martin to pass him and overtake Ward Burton. Jeff Burton later passed his brother, and then Martin, en route to his second consecutive Winston Cup win at LVMS.

At the time, it appeared as if Jeff Burton might have simply opted not to be the one to put his older brother a lap down. As it turned out, Jeff Burton was miffed at some of his brother's driving tactics.

"I (got) frustrated," Jeff Burton said of attempting to pass Ward. "I didn't blame Ward for racing to stay on the lead lap -- that's what you're supposed to do. You can't pull over because a teammate or a friend or relative is going to lap you.

"I got upset because (Ward) made some moves that put us in jeopardy of wrecking our race car. A minute later, I'm not upset anymore, it's just the heat of the moment; you're in the middle of the battle, you're sitting there with a fast race car, you've got two fast cars coming behind you and catching you. I expect him to race hard and I'm going to race him hard."

Ward Burton finished 23rd after starting 37th.

* NEW FAN: For the third time in 12 months, CarsDirect.com 400 winner Jeff Burton made a lucky fan a millionaire by winning a Winston No Bull 5 race.

Joyce Williams, a critical-care nurse from Port Isabel, Texas, won a million-dollar bonus when Burton was declared the winner of Sunday's rain-shortened race. Williams was paired with Burton in a drawing held Thursday night to pair five fans with the top five finishers from the Daytona 500.

"This is my first race and I can tell you it won't be my last," Williams said after joining Burton in receiving a $1 million bonus from R.J. Reynolds. "(Burton) is my hero ... he will always be my hero.

Williams said she would pay off some bills and go back to school with the winnings.

* SETTLING FOR SECOND: Tony Stewart, the 1999 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year, said he had mixed emotions about his run from the 16th starting position to a second-place finish in Sunday's race.

"My car was driving good, but I felt like we were a little down on power, like we made a wrong choice on the tailpipes today," Stewart said. "I'm not sure we had a lot more to gain."

On the positive side, Stewart climbed to fourth from ninth in series points with his showing Sunday.

"This early in the season, to come out of the last two weeks with two top-fives and to leave here with a second-place finish -- it's the best I've run here in any kind of car that I've been here in except for the Silver Crown car over at the dirt track."

* HOT LAPS: Jeff Burton gained nine spots in the Winston Cup Series points standings with his win Sunday, jumping from 14th to fifth. Bobby Labonte leads Dale Jarrett by four points (490-486) in the standings. ... Labonte, Jarrett and Mark Martin are the only three drivers to post top-10 finishes in all three races this season. ... Jack Roush-owned cars have won the last five Winston Cup and Busch Series races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. ... LVMS officials declared their new traffic plan a success after claiming the vast majority of spectators' cars were parked 45 minutes before the start of the race and that the parking lot was cleared in 2 1/2 hours from the time Sunday's race was called off.