Jeff Burton got his 12th consecutive top-15 finish Sunday at Chicagoland. Credit: Autostock

Second-place finish not what Burton had in mind

Performances, expectations rising for No. 31 team as Chase nears

JOLIET, Ill. -- The words sound very strange coming from the mouth of a man who hasn't won in five years, but Jeff Burton wasn't very happy with a runner-up finish at Chicagoland.

Or maybe it isn't so strange at all. Burton knows his team is close to catching the elite outfits of the Nextel Cup Series. The gap is small and extremely irritating.

Jeff Burton led the first 59 laps at Chicagoland. Credit: Autostock

USG Sheetrock 400 Official Results Pos. Driver Make 1. Jeff Gordon Chevy 2. Jeff Burton Chevy 3. Kyle Busch Chevy 4. Kevin Harvick Chevy 5. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Chevy 6. Jimmie Johnson Chevy 7. Reed Sorenson Dodge 8. Kurt Busch Dodge 9. Clint Bowyer Chevy 10. J.J. Yeley Chevy • Complete results, click here • Official standings, click here Victory LaneJeff Gordon celebrates his first Chicagoland victory Top finishersJeff Burton, Dale Jr. and Kevin Harvick at Chicagoland Big wreckJeff Gordon gets into Matt Kenseth as the laps wind down Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Burton led the first 59 laps in the USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland, but not the lap he wanted most.

"We were not as competitive as I thought we were going to be," Burton said. "I really thought we would run better than we did and that bothered me.

"We still have a lot of work to do and there are a few guys that seem to be ahead of us. We have got to step our program up, and I have got to step [my] program up as a driver."

Burton seemed sure he would win at Chicagoland after winning the pole on Friday. Instead, he finished second after experiencing ignition problems, which killed him on the late restarts.

"We had an ignition problem and had to switch to the second box," Burton said. "I actually thought I was going to run beside [winner Jeff Gordon], but again, we had an ignition problem and I couldn't go like I needed to."

Burton inherited second place when Gordon got into the back of Matt Kenseth on Lap 263, but Burton said he was so far behind the two that he didn't clearly see the incident.

"Well, I really honestly didn't see it," Burton said. "They were exiting [Turn] 2 and I was entering [Turn 1], so I can't look that far around the corner.

"Jeff will have to deal with Matt in the future, and he probably won't like that very much."

The finish was Burton's best of the year and moved him up to fourth in the standings, giving him considerable breathing room with just eight races to go before the start of the Chase.

Burton already has 11 top-10 finishes, tying him for second in the series. He had just six top-10s in 2005.

Still, Burton said his team must get better before the stretch run.

"Because we finished second [Sunday], everything is not right in the world," Burton said. "We still have a lot of work to do. There are a few guys that seem to be a step ahead of us."