ESPN Sprint Cup

ESPN.com preseason rank: No. 11

2009 Outlook

Take a wild guess how many Sprint Cup drivers have finished in the top seven each of the last three seasons and won at least one race each of those years?

OK. The first one is a gimme: Jimmie Johnson. But there's only one more, and the other one isn't Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch or Tony Stewart.

It's Jeff Burton. At age 41, Burton is racing at a consistently high level. Just one problem: He can't quite get to the top.

Burton has 58 top-10s and 23 top-5s over the last three seasons in the No. 31 Chevy for Richard Childress Racing. His input and leadership was instrumental is helping RCR revive its program.

All three RCR drivers, including Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer, made the Chase the previous two seasons. But something is missing.

Burton doesn't sugarcoat it. He knows the problem area.

"Unfortunately it's the same answer I've given the last two years, and that's speed," Burton said. "The things we haven't done very well as a company are lead a lot of laps and win a lot of races. That's our weakness. And that's a big weakness. In racing, speed is pretty darned important."

Burton believes the other top teams -- Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Fenway Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing -- have a slight horsepower advantage at some events. Adding a fourth car this season with Casey Mears could give RCR the additional data it needs to find that power.

"We've put a lot of work, effort and energy into trying to find a way to be better," Burton said. "We feel really confident our engine program has taken a major step. But there are a lot of unknowns, and those unknowns are a cause for concern."

Burton sees more uncertainty for his team this year because of the ban on testing at NASCAR tracks.

"To say that we're going to come out and do this and that is kind of foolish," Burton said. "We don't know what we have. Without testing we honestly don't know where we stand up to our competition."

By no means is Burton placing all the blame of the RCR engine department.

"It's more than just working on the cars, it's driving them, too," he said. "We play a huge role in how fast our cars go, so we have to be willing to look at ourselves and try to find a way to be better, as well."

2008 Review

"Consistent" would be the best way to describe Burton last season, as he finished in the top 10 for the third consecutive season. Burton won at Bristol in March and Charlotte in October. He ranked in the top five in the standings for 32 races, but fell to sixth when he finished 40th in the season finale at Homestead.

Has a shot at the title if: He keeps the consistency and Richard Childress Racing finds a little more horsepower so Burton can earn a few more top-5 finishes.

Won't win the title because: Not fast enough week in and week out to hang with Jimmie Johnson, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch.

-- Terry Blount