|
A native
of Danville, Va., Ward Burton began racing karts at age 8. He later
drove Street Stock and Late Model Stock Cars on Virginia short tracks,
mainly his home track of South Boston Speedway. He was voted most popular
driver there in 1989. In 1990 he joined the Busch Series. In 1994 he
competed for rookie of the year in Winston Cup, finishing behind his
brother. In 2002, it seemed at times that Burton was riding a roller
coaster and not his No. 22 Dodge Intrepid. After a victory in the Daytona
500 to start the season, Burton struggled to find consistency. Burton
would post nine finishes of 30th or worse before winning again at New
Hampshire. Following that win, Burton finished 30th or worse seven more
times before settling in 25th place in the standings -- his worst finish
since he was 24th in 1997.
Burton holds
five career Winston Cup victories and has won at least one race in each
of the past three seasons. He has earned more than $17 million in his
Winston Cup career. Outside of racing, Burton is involved with wildlife
and environmental conservation and has created the Ward Burton Wildlife
Foundation, which purchases parcels of land in an effort to conserve
and protect wildlife habitats. The foundation works closely with other
wildlife organizations to help with these causes.
|
