MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- There is a new leader in the Sprint Cup Series clubhouse.
And although there are many rounds left to play, Jeff Burton is happy to be there for the moment. Burton, driver of the No. 31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, moved atop the point standings Sunday after finishing a strong third in the Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway.
Burton advanced three spots and is 39 points ahead of Kevin Harvick, his Richard Childress Racing teammate who moved up one spot into second in the standings. Burton has 915 points to Harvick's 876, a slim advantage that he knows all too well could disappear quickly if he doesn't take care of business in this weekend's next race at Texas Motor Speedway.
"It is early to be talking about it. But the points all add up, and we'll look at where we are at the end of the year and see where what we've got, or at the end of 26 races," Burton said, referring to the cutoff when the 12-driver field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship is set. "Certainly we want to get as many points as we can every time out and we don't want to dig ourselves a whole. We've been able to avoid having those bad races that can do that to you. We'll just keep plugging away, trying to get better."
Trouble struck early for Kyle Busch, who had been the points leader heading into Sunday's race. On Lap 21, his No. 18 Toyota was hit from behind by the No. 2 Dodge driven by his brother, Kurt Busch.
Kyle Busch eventually went behind the wall into the garage to deal with transmission problems. By the time he returned to the track on Lap 338 of the 500-lap event, he was 56 laps down and doomed to a poor points performance.
He ended up being credited with finishing 38th, dropping him four spots in the points on the season. He trails the new leader by 84 now, and also dropped behind not only Harvick but also Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr.
Burton said it is more important how he finishes the season than where he is now, after only six races. And despite the lofty positions currently occupied by him and Harvick in the standings, Burton said there is plenty room for improvement at Richard Childress Racing.
"To be honest, I don't think we're running as well right now as we did at this point last year," he said. "Last year we were really fast, led more laps, then we kind of fell off. We got to where we weren't as competitive toward the end of the year.
"We know that everybody's going to step it up. If we continue to run the way we're running now come July, that will be running 20th. So we've got to find a way to be better."
Burton thought he might have found a way to be even better Sunday. He wasn't too happy about being slowed by rookie Michael McDowell toward the end of the race. Driving his first Sprint Cup race for Michael Waltrip Racing, McDowell was three laps down in his No. 00 Toyota when Burton thought he was getting held up.
"I thought we had something [for Hamlin]. We started coming back on him and then that kid in the 00 ... he's going to learn some manners. I'm going to teach them to him or he can choose it however he wants, but it will be one way or the other," Burton said.
McDowell said that he was trying to race for important spots, too, and didn't intentionally hold up Burton or any of the leaders.
"I was trying to gain a few spots and we're trying to keep our car in the top 35," McDowell said. "The 11 [eventual race winner Denny Hamlin] got by and we were able to hang with him for four or five laps. And once the 31 [Burton] put a nose underneath, I let him go. I'm sorry if I held him up. It wasn't the intention."
It was, of course, all about the points. McDowell said he was racing hard to stay ahead of the No. 28 machine of Travis Kvapil and the No. 16 of Greg Biffle.
"I was racing the 28 and the 16 at the time," McDowell said. "We're trying to keep this thing in the top 35. That's real important to [our sponsor] and to Michael Waltrip Racing and Toyota. ... I made a few mistakes out there, I'm sure, but by no means was I trying to hold the 31 up."
McDowell ultimately finished 26th, helping the No. 00 move up two spots in the owner point standings to 25