Jeff Burton finally made the move he had been trying all season to make. Credit: AP

Burton fulfilling promise, now go finish the job

Knowing full well the Chase pressure-cooker would heat up considerably in the coming weeks, I flew home from Dover late Saturday evening to spend a tranquil fall Sunday with my wife and son in North Carolina.

While tending to the little man, we kept tabs on the Dover 400 via television and TrackPass, and sprinkled in a dash of Barney Hall for some spice.

	MARTY SMITH •   E-mail Marty •   Opinion Archive

As the laps ticked down, my e-mail filled up.

Didn't even have to look: Pork Chop.

I've written about Chop on multiple occasions. He's a good ol' boy, by-God Virginia-proud and country-sophisticated -- sort of like a John Deere tractor with air conditioning and satellite radio. He is by all measures one of the good guys, the kind you admire for being fully content in his own skin; the I'm-me-and-if-you-don't-like-it-go-to-hell type.

And as far as NASCAR goes you have two choices: the Jeff Burton way or the highway. He takes it to an extreme level. Anytime I compliment another driver's performance and/or ability Pork Chop heckles me.

Example: During a recent live television interview I was asked to handicap certain drivers' chances of qualifying for the Chase. Burton wasn't among them. No sooner does the interview conclude that my phone starts buzzing.

"Burton: In! Burton: In! Come on, MartDawg. Just say it! Just go on and say it! Sneak it in there: Burton has a better chance of sippin' sweet tea with Jack Roush than he does missing the Chase! The [band] wagon's full. Chop -- Out!"

	Jeff Burton celebrates at Dover. Credit: AP
	Victory LaneJeff Burton celebrates in Victory Lane at Dover Final lapsKenseth falls short while Jeff Burton gets the checkered flag Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

It amuses the hell out of me. He called Sunday evening to "inform Team Smith that his household had hereby declared September 24 a national holiday -- the day Burton broke the winless steak."

Ironically, I was on the other line -- with Burton.

Having skipped the event I was relegated to a phone interview, during which several topics were broached, including: whether self-doubt crept in at any time during the past five years (no); if failure to win ever concerned him along the way (no); what and who he thought about during his victory lap Sunday (team and organizational pride, admiration for Richard Childress, love for family, just how damn fun it was to race Matt Kenseth like that, etc.); whether or not he'd sent a proverbial message in the RCR/SPEED Channel fiasco ("It's a good feeling to win the Busch race and the Cup race after the speculation that we had some kind of voodoo going on. That's quite a statement.").

Then I asked about Dale Earnhardt. Past conversations with Childress revealed Earnhardt's hope that Burton would succeed him in the No. 3.

Many new fans might not know that Burton was the heir apparent, the chosen one to dethrone Jeff Gordon, Ray Evernham and Hendrick Motorsports. Some folks might not know he won six races in one year (1999).

So they might wonder how he could make that sort of impression on the greatest driver ever. I couldn't help but wonder, corny as it might seem, if this might be a method to validate that sentiment?

Chase for the Nextel Cup After Dover (2nd of 10 races) Pos. +/- Driver Behind 1. +4 Jeff Burton Leader 2. +2 Jeff Gordon -6 3. -- Matt Kenseth -18 4. -2 Denny Hamlin -18 5. -4 Kevin Harvick -54 6. -- Mark Martin -75 7. -- D. Earnhardt Jr. -102 8. +1 Jimmie Johnson -136 9. -1 Kasey Kahne -182 10. -- Kyle Busch -224 • Complete standings, click here SUPERSTORE •   Jeff Burton Chase hat!

"I understand what you mean, and I think that he'd be proud of the effort we're putting out there," Burton said. "He'd look at what's going on at RCR today and be proud of that. I know for a fact he had Richard's continued success on his mind.

"He truly cared for Richard. He cared for Richard as a human being and as a business partner. He had Richard's best interests at heart in everything he did. That was apparent, very obvious.

"When he was going to leave, talking about retirement, he truly wanted RCR to continue to have success and continue to be able to win championships and compete at a high level. He'd be proud of what we've done, but at the same time he'd be telling us we hadn't done it yet.

"I got to know Dale the last year to two years of his life. I didn't know him much before then. I knew him to be someone that was never content. He'd be proud of what we've done, but he'd be in the background saying, 'You ain't done it yet.' You still haven't won any championships."

True. But he's closer than he's been in years, quite possibly ever.

He's never held the points lead this late in the year. A championship is a legitimate possibility.

And if that happens, I'll need to turn my phone off.

Chop's voicemails will be priceless.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.