Driver Profile - If Ward Burton is able to avoid unwanted collisions on the race track in 2002, he may be able to get back into the top 10 in the NASCAR Wins... Show moreton Cup point standings. The older of two racing brothers, Burton had a lot more to worry about in 2001 than his younger brother Jeff beating him on the race track. His Bill Davis Racing team switched to Dodge Intrepids, and Burton suffered six DNFs to finish 14th in points. Burton equaled his career high of six top-five finishes, including a victory in the Pepsi Southern 500 at Darlington, but his top-10 numbers dropped dramatically from 17 in 2000 to just 10 in 2001. Despite that, he still managed to bring home a career high in winnings, $3,633,692. Burton started the season in a hole after getting knocked out of the Daytona 500 in an accident. He charged back to 11th in points after six races, but the rest of his season was plagued by inconsistency that knocked him as low as 23rd in points. Despite being very competitive at a number of tracks, he was never able to get on a roll. He found the Dodge a tough beast to qualify, as he only started in the top-10 eight times and he failed win a Bud Pole for the sixth consecutive year. The Danville, Va., native 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. 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. Dodge Takes The Muppets Racing Hollywood, CA - In celebration of The Muppet Show'sTM 25th Anniversary, Action Performance Companies Inc., The Jim Henson Company and NASCAR� drivers will join the MuppetsTM in Hollywood at Henson studios for Muppet RaceManiaTM on Thursday, April 25, 2002 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Kermit the FrogTM will host the evening joined by Miss PiggyTM, Pepe the King PrawnTM and many other Muppet friends along with NASCAR stars such as Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd. Guests will have the chance to view several of the Muppet racecars and all the mayhem and mania that has become synonymous with the Muppets.Through a collaborative effort among The Jim Henson Company, the drivers, their teams and sponsors, Action Performance designed the special paint schemes for the 14 Muppet race cars from NASCAR, NHRA�, and the World of Outlaws series; The Muppet ShowTM 25th Anniversary car; the drivers' uniforms; and helmets. Action Performance is also producing the replica die-cast collectible versions of the actual cars.The Muppets will make their NASCAR racing debut on Sunday, July 14, 2002 at Chicago's Chicagoland Speedway. Young NASCAR stars Jeremy Mayfield and Casey Atwood along with seasoned veterans Rudd, Johnny Benson, Jimmy Spencer as well as NASCAR Winston Cup Champions Jarrett, Bobby Labonte and Bill Elliott will race with Muppet sidekicks.NHRA drivers will join the Muppets for their second race appearance beginning on July 18, 2002 in Denver. The Muppets will ride aboard top fuel dragsters, funny cars and a pro stock bike. NHRA aces Whit Bazemore, Craig Treble, Tony Pedregon and Andrew Cowin each will race with a Muppet character. In this race, Pedregon will team up with AnimalTM in a funny car owned by 11-time champion John Force. Meanwhile, top fuel dragster champion Shirley Muldowney and Pepe the King Prawn will burn up the track in Indianapolis on August 28, 2002.Defending World of Outlaws series champion Danny Lasoski also will feature Animal on his sprint car beginning on July 19, 2002 at Eldora Speedway in Rossburg, Ohio."The appeal of Jim Henson's Muppets crosses all boundaries," said Fred Wagenhals, Chairman, President and CEO of Action Performance. "People of all backgrounds and ages can identify with the Muppets because there is such a range of characters and personalities. Similarly, motorsports appeals to a very broad range of people. The two complement one another wonderfully.""We couldn't be more excited to work with Action Performance to bring the Muppets to NASCAR, NHRA and the World of Outlaws race series," said Michael R. Polis, Senior Vice President of Marketing Worldwide for The Jim Henson Company. "Action Performance has added a fun and creative flair to motorsports, and we know that the character cars will fully convey all of the magic and mayhem of the Muppets."The Muppets respond to the Muppet racecars: Kermit the Frog: "Most people don't know this, but frogs are huge fans of NASCAR. We're very impressed at the number of bugs these guys can catch on their windshields and with how few laps it takes them to provide a full eight-course dinner!"Miss Piggy: "Moi is most appreciative of the attempt to glamorize the racing cars of today with moi's likeness. It's almost as exciting as being on the cover of Vogue...almost. Either way, I look forward to using moi's car and driver for my shopping trips as I find traffic too slow for my power shopping excursions around the world."About The Jim Henson Company: The Jim Henson Company, an established leader in family entertainment for more than 45 years, is a multimedia production company; one of the top character licensors in the industry; a leading publisher of children's books and home to Jim Henson Television, Jim Henson Pictures, Jim Henson Interactive, Jim Henson Home Entertainment and Jim Henson's Creature ShopTM. The Company is headquartered in Los Angeles with offices and production facilities in New York and London. The Jim Henson Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of EM.TV & Merchandising AG based in Munich, Germany. The Jim Henson Company website is located at: www.henson.com Show Less
