NASCAR Talk

Name: Jeff Burton
Car #: 31
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : AT&T Mobility
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Richard Childress
Team : Richard Childress Racing
Crew Chief : Scott Miller
Birthday: June 29, 1967
Hometown: South Boston, VA
Resides: Huntersville, NC
Personal: Married (wife: Kim) with 2 kids (Paige and Harrison)

What a year 2007 has been for Jeff Burton. Not only did he place 8th in the Championship Point Standings in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, he helped the #29 Busch Series team bring home an Owner’s Championship to Richard Childress racing by co-driving the car with Scott Wimmer throughout the season. The 40 year old proved that the sport isn’t just about the Young Guns and there is still a place on the track for the veterans.

Jeff started racing go karts at the age of 7 in his home state of Virginia. By 1984, he had won two state go karting championship trophies and moved on to stock car racing. He proved his prowess by winning multiple races at his home track of the South Boston Speedway over the next few years. It wasn’t long before Burton made his jump to NASCAR and started driving Busch Series races for his father’s team in 1988 and then won his first race in 1990 driving for Sam Ard.

Jeff continued to run the Busch Series full time until 1993 when he started a few Cup races and then he proceeded to run the Cup Series full time beginning in 1994 when he won the Rookie of the Year award. In 1996, Jeff Burton signed a contract with Roush Racing and started consistently finishing high in the championship point standings every year. After a few disappointing years, Burton left Roush Racing to drive the #31 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing in 2005. After an adjustment period, Jeff was back in the top ten in points and solidified his place in the Chase for the Championship in both 2006 and 2007.

Jeff Burton Websites:
Richard Childress Racing
Official Jeff Burton Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Jeff Burton Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Jeff Burton Bio

Name: Kurt Busch
Car #: 2
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : Miller Lite
Manufacturer : Dodge
Car Owner : Roger Penske
Team : Penske Racing
Crew Chief : Pat Tryson
Birthday: August 4, 1978
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Personal: Married to Eva Bryan.

Kurt Busch, much like his younger brother Kyle, started his racing career in a go-kart riding around the neighborhood. It wasn’t long before he was racing in the Dwarf Car Series around Las Vegas, and he won the Rookie of the Year honors in that series in 1994. He won back to back championships the next two years in Dwarf Car and Hobby Stock series.

Kurt made the jump up to the NASCAR Southwest Touring League in 1998, winning the Rookie of the Year honors. Soon after in the year 2000, Jack Roush hired him to run the full Craftsman Truck Series schedule and a few Cup Series races on top of that. Following tradition, he won the Rookie of the Year honors in the Truck Series and earned himself a spot in a full time Cup car the following year. This time, however, he finished second in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year points standings.

In 2004, the first year of the Chase format, Kurt brought home the championship trophy for Roush Racing. However, at the end of 2005, Kurt announced he would be leaving Roush Racing to drive the #2 Miller Lite Dodge for Penske Racing. He has consistently made the Chase, and finished 7th place overall in 2007. In fact, since Kurt was a rookie in the Cup series in 2001, he has finished no lower than 11th in the championship points standings.

Kurt Busch Websites:
Penske Racing
Kurt Busch Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Kurt Busch Bio

Name: Tony Stewart
Car #: 20
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : The Home Depot
Manufacturer : Chevrolet (Toyota in 2008)
Car Owner : Joe Gibbs
Team : Joe Gibbs Racing
Crew Chief : Greg Zipadelli
Birthday: May 20, 1971
Hometown: Columbus, IN
Personal: Single

Where there’s Smoke, there’s fire! Could there be a better nickname for one of NASCAR’s most controversial drivers? He may sometimes speak before he thinks, but he can back it up on the track most of the time.

Way back in 1978, a 7 year old Tony Stewart began racing go karts and before long, he was winning karting national championships in 1983 and 1987. Soon after, he began racing three quarter midgets and then moved up to USAC racing in 1994. The following year, Tony took home the circuit’s Triple Crown with National Midget, Sprint and Silver Crown titles in 1995.

His next stop on the racing ladder was the Indy Racing League where he became the Rookie of the Year in 1996. Tony’s entrance into NASCAR came in the Busch Series in 1999 when he was asked to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing, including some Cup series races. In 2000, he made the leap to NASCAR’s top series and won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award. It only took him two more seasons before he won the Cup Championship in 2002. He followed that up with yet another championship in 2005 when he also won the Brickyard.

In his spare time, Tony hosts a Sirius Satellite Radio show all about racing.

Tony Stewart Websites:
Joe Gibbs Racing
Tony Stewart Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Tony Stewart Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Tony Stewart Bio

Name: Kyle Busch
Car #: 5
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : Kellogg’s/CARQUEST
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Rick Hendrick
Team : Hendrick Motorsports
Crew Chief : Alan Gustafson
Date of Birth: 5/2/1985
Hometown: Las Vegas, NV
Current Residence: Mooresville, NC
Personal: Single

Kyle began his love of racing at age 6 as he would just ride through the neighborhood in a go kart. Even though he couldn’t reach the pedals, his father would hit the throttle for him as he steered around the block. By the time he was 10, Kyle became his brother Kurt’s crew chief and lead mechanic for his Dwarf Car team.

As soon as he turned 13, Kyle’s own racing career began. Between 1999 and 2001, he racked up more than 65 wins in Legends cars. He also made his Craftsman Truck Series debut in 2001, but NASCAR began strictly enforcing its age limit on the track and sidelined the 16 year old until his 18th birthday. He spent his waiting time racing in the ASA series and was signed to Hendrick Motorsports, where he drove an ARCA car until he was old enough.

Before long he was driving in the Busch Series and breaking 5 records in his first year. He also ran a few Nextel Cup races and was chosen to take over the retiring Terry Labonte’s ride in 2005. In his first full season of the Nextel Cup series, Kyle won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award, becoming the youngest driver in history to do so.

Kyle ended up finishing fifth in the Nextel Cup point standings for 2007 in his last year with Hendrick Motorsports. Busch announced earlier in the year he would be moving over to drive the #18 M&Ms Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2008.

Kyle Busch Websites:
Hendrick Motorsports
Joe Gibbs Racing
Kyle Busch Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Kyle Busch Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

Name : Matt Kenseth
Car #: 17
Series : Sprint Cup
Sponsor : DEWALT NANO Technology
Manufacturer : Ford
Car Owner : John Henry
Team : Roush Fenway Racing
Crew Chief : Robbie Reiser
Birthday: March 10,1972
Hometown: Cambridge, Wis.
Resides: Mooresville, N.C.
Personal: Married (Katie) with son (Ross)

Matt Kenseth may have ended #4 in the points for the Nextel Cup championship this year, but he sure finished on a strong note when he won the final race at Homestead Miami Speedway to send his crew chief off on a high note (Robbie Reiser is moving up the ladder at Roush Fenway Racing to a VP position).

Matt started off racing at the age of 16 after helping his dad work on the car for three years in his native Wisconsin. By the age of 19, he was racing with such legends in late model cars as Dick Trickle on the Wisconsin tracks. He soon set a record for being the ARTGO Challenge Series winner in history (which, ironically, was an honor previously held by Mark Martin). He also became the youngest winner of the Miller Genuine Draft National championships in 1994.

In 1997, fellow Wisconsin racer Robbie Reiser asked Matt to drive his Reiser Enterprises Busch car. Matt finished second in the Rookie of the Year standings with only 21 starts. The following year saw him finish second in the Busch Series points and also drive his way to a 6th place finish in his first ever Cup race for Bill Elliott. Catching the eye of Jack Roush, Kenseth was asked to drive 5 races the following year for Roush Racing.

In 2000, Matt became a full time Cup driver and easily won the Rookie of the Year honors. In 2003, Kenseth stayed atop the point standings in the Cup series for 34 weeks and cruised to a championship title (the first for Roush Racing). He has competed in the Chase for the Championship every year since they changed the point system.

Matt Kenseth Websites:
Roush Fenway Racing
Matt Kenseth Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Matt Kenseth Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Matt Kenseth Bio

Name : Clint Bowyer
Car # : 07
Series : Sprint Cup
Sponsor : Jack Daniel’s
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Richard Childress
Team : Richard Childress Racing
Crew Chief : Gil Martin
Date of Birth: May 30, 1979
Hometown: Emporia, Kan.
Resides: Clemmons, N.C.
Personal : Single (Girlfriend Athena Elizabeth Barber)

Clint Bowyer does not know the meaning of “Sophomore Slump”. The Richard Childress Racing driver managed to finish third in the point standings behind Jimmie Johnson and Jeff Gordon in just his second full-time year in the Nextel Cup series.

Clint started out in motocross at the age of 5 in 1985 in his hometown of Emporia, Kansas. After taking home more than 200 wins in an 8 year span, he moved up to racing stock cars soon after. He managed to win the modified title in 2000 at the Thunderhill Speedway in Kansas. In 2002, the talented driver won the NASCAR Weekly Racing Series title in the Midwest. This gave him the opportunity to race in the NASCAR AutoZone Elite series and the ARCA series in the following years.

He finally caught a ride in the Busch Series for Richard Childress Racing, sharing driving duties with Kevin Harvick in 2004. Clint’s impressive finishes gave him the chance to try out the Nextel Cup series with a race in 2005, while driving a full-time Busch Series car. He finished 2nd in the Busch Series Point Standings that year and earned his full time ride in the Nextel Cup series for 2006.

Clint Bowyer websites:
Richard Childress Racing
Clint Bowyer Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Clint Bowyer Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Clint Bowyer Bio

Name : Jeff Gordon
Car #: 24
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : DuPont
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Rick Hendrick
Team : Hendrick Motorsports
Crew Chief : Steve Letarte
Birthdate: Aug 4, 1971
Birthplace: Vallejo, CA
Hometown: Pittsboro, IN
Personal: Married to Ingrid Vandebosch, daughter Ella Sofia

Jeff Gordon was introduced to the racing world at age 5 when his stepfather got him started in Quarter Midget races. Only a year later, Jeff had won the Western States Championship with a total of 35 race wins. He soon got bored winning everything and took an interest in water skiing, but his grandfather kept him racing. He started driving Sprint cars when he was 13, but was too young to race in events.

In 1991, Gordon first got into a stock car and began what would become his storied NASCAR career. His first year in the Busch Series, he ended up 4th in the points. Soon after, Rick Hendrick asked Jeff to drive the #24 Winston Cup car and he ended his first full season in 1993 14th in the points standings.

Gordon’s domination of the Cup series began with his first Championship in 1995, and then back to back championships in 1997 and 1998. His fourth title came in 2001. The only other drivers with more championships is Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Richard Petty with 7 each.

Jeff finished up 2nd in points in the 2007 season behind teammate Jimmie Johnson. Besides having a great year on the track, Jeff had a big year in his personal life as well when he welcomed his first child, Ella Sofia, in the summer.

Jeff Gordon Websites:
Hendrick Motorsports
Jeff Gordon Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Jeff Gordon Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Jeff Gordon Bio

Name: Jimmie Johnson
Car #: 48
Series: Sprint Cup
Sponsor : Lowe’s
Manufacturer : Chevrolet
Car Owner : Jeff Gordon
Team : Hendrick Motorsports
Crew Chief : Chad Knaus
Birthday: Sept. 17, 1975
Hometown: El Cajon, Calif.
Personal : Married (Chandra)

Jimmie started out riding motorcycles at the age of 4 and was winning championships on those by the age of 8, so this back to back Nextel Cup Champion is no stranger to success. He continued his winning ways in motocross with three consecutive years of championships from 1992-1994 in the Mickey Thompson Entertainment Group Stadium Racing Series. After that, he moved on to off road racing and won more championships in that series in 1996 and 1998.

Soon after in 1998, Jimmie made his Busch Series debut in three races and began running the Busch Series full time in 2000. It only took a year before he posted his first Busch Series win at Chicago in July of 2001, which earned him a ride in the Nextel Cup series that October at Lowe’s Motorspeedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The following year, Hendrick Motorsports gave him a full time job driving a Cup car owned by none other than Jeff Gordon. In his rookie season, Jimmie finished 5th in the Championship Standings.

Now with back to back Nextel Cup championships under his belt, Jimmie Johnson is negotiating a lifetime driving contract with Hendrick Motorsports.

Jimmie Johnson websites:
Hendrick Motorsports
Jimmie Johnson Official Site
NASCAR.com Driver Page

If you know a great Jimmie Johnson Website that should be added to the list, please leave a comment below!

NASCAR, NASCAR Driver Bios, Jimmie Johnson Bio