Ward Burton is quite matter-of-fact when reasoning his yearlong absence from NASCAR competition: The phone didn’t just sit idle. He had opportunities to get back in the seat. Just couldn’t get excited about any of them. So he held out. But as one of the most active Silly Seasons in recent memory came and went without resolution, Burton began to realize something: Some of this is my fault. It’s not just going to fall in my lap. “There were a few offers,” Burton said. “It wasn’t as good as I’d have liked, and some of that is my fault, not being as proactive as I needed to be and relying on other people to do things for me. I didn’t take time within the racing fraternity as I should have.” That’s not to say it was time wasted. Quite the contrary, in fact. Burton spent the year working on land conservation projects and spending considerable QT with his wife and children. “The loss of that year made me realize how much I love the sport, like the competition, like the camaraderie and intermingling with the fans, building sponsor programs, all of it,” he said. Easier said than done. Anyone that knows NASCAR knows it is the consummate out of sight, out of mind business. Just walking back in after a year off is difficult for everyone, impossible for some. Burton is committed. He plans to be more visible at the racetrack in 2006, and is discussing possible sponsorship opportunities with NASCAR’s brass and other industry movers and shakers “so I can bring something other than just myself to a team.”(in part from NASCAR.com)(2-3-2006)
