Jeffrey Tyler Burton (born June 29, 1967), nicknamed The
Mayor, is an American former professional stock car racing driver and current
racing commentator. He scored 21 career victories in the NASCAR Cup Series,
including two Coca-Cola 600s in 1999 and 2001 and the 1999 Southern 500. He
currently serves as a color commentator for NBC Sports, having joined them upon
their return to their coverage of NASCAR. His son Harrison and nephew Jeb
Burton currently compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, while his brother Ward
Burton has also raced in the Cup Series.
In 1996, Burton was signed to Roush Racing, where he began
driving the No. 99 Exide Batteries-sponsored Ford Thunderbird. He finished 13th
overall in the season points standings despite failing to qualify for the
Purolator 500 in March as a new team (provisional in the first four races were
based on 1995 points, and Burton's team did not have points from 1995). His
career hit a peak from 1997 to 2000, as he ranked in the top five in points for
all four seasons. He achieved his first career win in 1997 in the Interstate
Batteries 500 at Texas Motor Speedway (the inaugural NASCAR race at the track),
and would go on to win 14 more races during the four-year run. In 1998, the
team switched to the new Ford Taurus. In 1999, Burton won a career-high six races,
including the Jiffy Lube 300 for a third straight year, and clinched two of the
series' four majors: the Coca-Cola 600 and the 50th Annual Southern 500, both
of which earned him the No Bull 5 $1 million bonus, which would lead to a
fifth-place finish in points. In addition, after winning at Darlington in
March, he would lead the point standings for the next five races. His best
points finish was in third in 2000, just 294 points behind champion Bobby
Labonte. On September 17, 2000, Burton led every lap of the Dura Lube 300 at
New Hampshire International Speedway, in unique circumstances (this race was
the only Loudon race to use a restrictor plate, imposed for safety reasons
after the deaths of Adam Petty and Kenny Irwin Jr. earlier in the year at the
track). From 1997 to 2000, Burton won an event at NHIS every year.
In late 2000, Burton and the No. 99 welcomed CITGO as a new
sponsor. In 2001 Burton won another two races, upping his career total to 17,
and he finished tenth in points, climbing from a season low of 38th, which was
his position after four races. In 2002 and 2003, he finished 12th in the points
and had eight Top 5s and 25 Top 10s combined but failed to win a race in
either year. CITGO then announced that they were leaving Roush Racing at the
end of the 2003 season.
Measurements: 15" x 12".