HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Old friends Jeff Burton and Mark Martin battled it out in Saturday’s Ford 300, with Burton holding off the all-time victory leader in the Busch Series in a fitting conclusion to the 2007 season.
Saturday night’s race was the final Busch Series race in history. The series will become the Nationwide Series in 2008.
Martin is the all-time Busch Series winner with 48 victories, and Burton is an old-school driver from South Boston, Va. Kevin Harvick is No. 2 in Busch wins with 32. Burton has 27 Busch wins in 280 races, including two at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
But it was Burton who won this battle, and his victory sealed the owner’s championship for Richard Childress Racing. It was the 13th victory for RCR this season.
“Congratulations guys, that’s the way to take the championship,” Childress told his driver after the checkered flag. “Jeff Burton, Scott Wimmer, you guys are both champions. Congratulations, guys.
“It’s a tribute to my two drivers, and I can’t wait to do a little celebrating.”
Although Richard Childress Racing won the owner’s championship, Carl Edwards clinched the driver’s title two weeks ago at Texas Motor Speedway. He ended the season winning the title by 618 points over David Reutimann.
“The wins this year were a blast and I thought I was going to get another one tonight,” Edwards said after finishing fourth in a Ford. “It was fun racing with Mark and Jeff and those guys.”
When it comes to owner’s points, the ride shared by Burton and Wimmer had the best season, however.
“It’s been a wonderful season,” said crew chief Pat Smith. “We have some time to think about it now.”
It was Burton’s fifth Busch win this season.

“It really means a lot to me to win the last race in the NASCAR Busch Series,” Burton said. “I grew up wanting to be a Busch driver, so that means a lot to me.”

Burton’s Chevrolet defeated Martin’s Chevrolet by 1.718 seconds. After the victory, Burton drove straight to victory lane, rather than smoke his tires with burnouts as some drivers have done so often it has become passé.
“Jeff Burton is old school,” Martin said. “None of that juvenile stuff like doing burnouts.
“Jeff Burton is a major class act. And when he was little, he looked at the Busch Series as something that might be obtainable in his life time and spent time watching that racing. It’s been a pleasure to have the opportunity to race with him and have it look like with 10 to go that it might be decided between he and I. The Busch Series still holds a dear place in my heart.”
Fords rounded out the top five with Matt Kenseth third, followed by Edwards and Stephen Leicht.
Burton’s victory was worth $92,400. Harvick led three times for 84 laps but finished 16th after he was penalized by NASCAR officials for having a tire roll out of his pits on his final pit stop. That put him at the tail end of the longest line on the restart and out of contention for the victory.
Burton led twice for 51 laps, including the final 26.