Jeff Burtons #99 Roush Racing Ford team spent today at VIRginia International Raceway with their first 2004-specification Taurus to be track-tested, looking at various options for their road-racing brake package in advance of the 2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup championship. Burton, a native of nearby South Boston, Va., did back-to-back comparisons of different brake calipers while circulating the 2.25-mile VIR North Course. According to crew chief Paul Andrews, this is catch-up work from the 2003 season. “There are two different types of brake calipers we wanted to try,” he said, “and another manufacturers come along with a new one theyre thinking about building, so we have their prototype for that. We just want to see what kind of things we can find.” The team usually tests a couple of times each year at VIR, which is just a two-hour drive from their shop in Concord, NC. “VIR is a great place,” Andrews said. “We love coming here. Its obviously a real nice facility, and it kind of helps us a little bit with both road courses that we run, Watkins Glen and Sears Point, so its a good place for us.” The testing pace will slow little over the holidays. The NASCAR Nextel Cup Ford teams have new cylinder heads, new noses and new tail sections to test and perfect between now and the time that the trailers are loaded for the season-opening Daytona 500, which is 60 days from today. The car being tested today was the teams first 2004-configuration Taurus to hit the track, Andrews noting that all other testing for next year had taken place in the wind tunnel only to date. VIRginia International Raceway is a multi-purpose road racing facility, located on the Dan River between Danville and South Boston, Va., and just north of historic Milton, N.C. In addition to its 3.27-mile natural-terrain road racing circuit (designed to be operated as two autonomous, full-service courses), VIR is the cornerstone of VIR Club, Americas first motorsports country club, the VIR Raceplex Industrial Park and the VIR Euro Rally School and Corporate Motorsport Experience, which features four rally stages plus a kart track, motocross track, ATV and SUV training grounds and a Tuff Terrain course. Future plans include the VIR Gallery, a showroom for high-end collector and racing cars, and resort lodging. For more information, visit the tracks website at www.virclub.com or contact VIR toll-free at 888-RACE099.(VIR PR)(12-16-2003)
