Burton's win proves the veteran is back

Burton's return to being successful has revitalized the Virginia driver's passion for the sport and his job.

"What Richard has given me an opportunity to do here and all the effort that (crew chief) Scott (Miller) has put in, I feel like I'm new at it again," he said. "My enthusiasm is as high as it's ever been, my excitement is as high as it's ever been and I hope that people look at me and say I can do it again."

Returning to Victory Lane hasn't been easy for Burton, who has been involved in several last-lap duels to the checkered flag since his resurgence with RCR.

He beat Matt Kenseth on the final lap Sunday just as he did last September in Dover. Last month, he was on the short end of a last-lap battle with Kyle Busch at Bristol.

While it may look nerve-wracking, to Burton the fight to the finish line is stimulating.

"I love being part of close finishes and I've been lucky, I've been part of a lot of really close finishes," he said. "I haven't always won them, I can promise you that.

"It's really fun, it's invigorating. To beat Matt Kenseth, to find a way to beat that No. 17 team on the last lap, I'm telling you, you guys don't understand how much that means. Because that's a great race team. He's a great race driver. To find a way around that, it means an incredible amount."

After seven races, Burton finds himself in the thick of the title hunt again. His win Sunday at Texas, the 19th of his career and second for Childress, moved him within eight points of Jeff Gordon for the series point lead.

Childress is encouraged, but realizes it's a long season.

"It's way too early to start picking where you're gonna be," Childress said. "These guys' job is to go out and do everything we can every week to put yourself in a position to be a championship contender first, and I think this team is getting there. I think Jeff Burton has all the ability to be a champion. He will be a champion."

Burton's off to a great start at making that a reality this season.