Burton: Age has made me better

At 41, Burton is the oldest driver among those fighting for the championship. Despite being in the sport for nearly 14 years, he has yet to win a Cup title, coming the closest in 2000, when he ranked third while driving for Jack Roush.

The Virginian believes all the experience from his years at Roush and then with current employer Richard Childress have made him wiser. Being nearly as experienced as Jeff Gordon at NASCAR's top level but more mature in age, he says his approach to racing may give him an edge over rivals.

"I think the biggest thing it brings to me is the perspective of what we're trying to do here and a calmness that I've never had in my life," Burton said.

"The age that I am to me is a great thing. I love the age that I am. I couldn't have the things in my life that I love so much if I'm not the age that I am and I couldn't have the experience without having been through the things I've been through and the only way to do that is to be the age that I am.

"To me, I look at my age as a benefit because I'm able to draw experiences. I'm able to watch other people's experiences and learn from them. I view it as an advantage not as a disadvantage because I have a pool of information that's larger than a lot that I can use so to me that's actually an advantage."

Burton admits that at some point in the future age may be a disadvantage for him, although the physical demands of driving a stock car at the top level are not as high as in other sports, thus allowing him to be competitive over a longer period.

He is adamant that at 41 he is a far better driver than in the early years of his career.

"At some point (age) does become a disadvantage," said Burton. "There's no getting around that. I truly believe that at 41 I'm a better driver than at 25. Now, was I a good enough driver at 25, that's for someone else to decide but I believe that I'm better at 41 than I was at 25.

"Am I going to be better at 70 than I was at 41, probably not. But physically our sport allows someone if you take care of yourself and you're committed you can be successful in this sport well into your 40s. I have no concerns if I'm emotionally able to put the effort into it."

The RCR driver also said that he expects Mark Martin to be a title contender next year when he turns 50 while driving for Hendrick Motorsports. He says that while a driver remains emotionally committed to racing, he can be as successful as Martin remains.

"No question he'll be competitive," he said. "This is a strange sport and you never know what's going to happen but I would be willing today and he's going to shoot me for saying this, I'd be willing to guarantee you that that car will be in the Chase next year.

"I don't think that something swoops down from the sky and says you're 47, no longer for you. I don't think it works like that. I think its individual. I think it boils down to physical, emotional, most of it being emotional, the dedication that you're willing to put into it."

Burton scored his second victory of the season last week at Lowe's Motor Speedway and moved up to second place in the points, only 69 behind reigning champion Jimmie Johnson.