Jeff Burton Proves Nice Guys Do Finish First

Guest Column By Cathy Elliott The theme song to the environmentally-conscious movie "Hoot," penned by Nashville Hall of Fame songwriter Mac McAnally, reminds us that, "Now and then, just when you think it won't happen again ... the good guys win." During the 2008 Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup, driver Jeff Burton is reminding us of the same thing. One of the most difficult roles to fill in any professional sports arena, NASCAR included, is that of "the guy nobody dislikes." You have to race well enough to keep your job and make your sponsors happy, but if you win too often, you alienate the fans of every other driver, so it follows that they will begin to dislike you. (Kyle Busch, with eight wins on the season so far, could attest to this.) You can't straddle the fence, but you can't plant yourself firmly on one side or the other. If you try to play both sides you can never hope to win. You can try to play both ends against the middle, but that's ill-advised. Sometimes you might come out on the front end, but all too often this tactic could land you in the back of the field, literally. You have to perform well enough to make the Chase, meaning you need good finishes each week, but you can't be the guy who always beats Dale Earnhardt, Jr. If you do that, well, then you're the guy who always beats Junior, and dislike may be too delicate a term for the reaction of his fans. You must be willing to follow in the footsteps of others, but not eclipse them by leaving a larger footprint. Case in point: The old Baby Ruth car, which competed in the Nationwide Series during the '90s. The 1991 Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Jeff Gordon (you may have heard of him) used his performance in the Baby Ruth Ford as a springboard to a full-time ride in the Sprint Cup Series and a job with Hendrick Motorsports the following year. Gordon's successor in the Baby Ruth car? Jeff Burton. Gordon piloted the car to a fourth-place finish in the driver standings in 1992. Burton followed that with a 14th-place finish in 1993. Thats pretty good, but not as good as Gordon. You would think all that fence sitting and line-walking would make a guy sore after a while, but not Burton. In general, each major league baseball team has at least one member of the team who can be described as a "utility player". Pete Rose, his later illicit behavior notwithstanding, was a great example of a utility player. During Rose's career, he played left field, right field, center field, third base, second base and finally, first base. Whatever skill was deemed necessary at the time, he delivered it. Wherever he was needed, he was there. Rose was not known as a slugger or a power hitter. Instead, consistency was his key strength. He holds the Major League Baseball Record for career base hits. When the job needed doing during a game, he did it. In a sense, Jeff Burton is NASCAR's ultimate utility player. With 21 Cup Series victories, he has won more than some, fewer than others. He raced well enough to make the Chase in the past two seasons, but never seriously contended for the title, finishing seventh in 2006 and eighth last year. He has plenty of fans, but his souvenir hauler is not the most crowded at the track on race day. He has emerged as a sort of de facto spokesperson for the Sprint Cup Series drivers. He has been tactfully critical or wholeheartedly supportive of various hot button issues in the sport, as he has seen fit. Somehow, he never seems to get in hot water with NASCAR for his willingness to speak his mind. He is honest and forthright. No one ever gets mad at him. What the heck, it's an election year. Let's go ahead and say that where the Sprint Cup Series championship is concerned, Burton is a terrific candidate for the job. Dare we go so far as to call him a role model? Yes, I believe we do. NASCAR news of late has concerned things like R-rated radio communications and shoving matches in the garage. In an atmosphere so absolutely fueled by adrenaline, emotions can't help but run high. But in the midst of all this flash and fury, instead of being a "character," Jeff Burton displays character. So let's not be too quick during this year's championship Chase to hitch ourselves up to the "nice guys finish last" bandwagon. This contest is far from over, and so far, there seems to be a better than fair chance that Jeff Burton -- a very nice guy indeed -- just might finish first. I believe it would be an outcome nobody in general, and true NASCAR fans in particular, could possibly dislike.