SOUTH BOSTON, VA, April 26, 2009
/24-7PressRelease/ -- Jeb Burton, 17-year old son of former NASCAR driver and Daytona 500 winner, Ward Burton, has been chosen as a guest driver for the season opener of Volkswagen of America, Inc.'s SCCA Pro Racing Jetta TDI Cup series, hosted by VIRginia International Raceway. Burton will also participate in all of the weekend's on and off-track events, including practice and qualifying and compete in the series' second race at VIRginia International Raceway at 2 PM on April 26.
The 2009 season marks the second year of competition for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup. During the season, young, up and coming drivers between ages 16-26 compete in 10 events on eight road courses around North America. Each driver competing in the series will earn a Pro Racing license from SCCA at the conclusion of the season and the series champion will win $100,000. While Burton will be a full participant in the race at VIR, he is ineligible for driver points or prize money.
In the Jetta TDI Cup series all cars are identical Jetta TDI's, powered by HYPERFUELS' SynDiesel B5 bio-fuel. The environmentally friendly car only uses two tanks of clean diesel fuel in races during the season. Like his father, founder of the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation, Burton is an avid outdoorsman who cares deeply about conservation.
"I was born and raised by the creed to give back our natural resources to the next generation. I am honored to be selected to be a guest driver for the Volkswagen TDI Cup series and excited to participate in such an environmentally friendly series," he says.
Currently, Burton drives the No.27 State Water Heaters Chevy Impala in the Limited Sportsman Division at South Boston Speedway. He has participated in two races so far this season and finished in the top three at both.
Burton's Jetta TDI Cup racecar will also be decked out in State Water Heaters' orange and blue.
Other guest drivers at the season opener are Simon Dumont, professional freestyle skier and Red Bull athlete and Dan Carney, award-winning automotive journalist.
About The Jetta TDI Cup Series:
The Jetta TDI car is powered by a 2.0-liter, 170 hp, four-cylinder TDI clean diesel engine mated to a six-speed, double-clutch, automatic DSG transmission. The car is only slightly modified from stock with Pirelli racing tires, race suspension and brake components, drivers racing safety seat, FIA roll cage and an on-board fire extinguisher system. Series sponsors include: Pirelli, Bosch, ViON, Castrol, Oakley, Red Bull, HYPERFUELS, Aggreko, defNder, Safety-Kleen, Ringer Gloves, Jim Russell Racing School and Trellis Earth.
Follow the Volkswagen Jetta TDI Cup series action on:
http://www.vwmotorsportusa.com
Volkswagen Online Newsroom: media.vw.com
Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/JettaTDICup
Twitter: http://twitter.com/VWJettaTDICup
Volkswagen of America, Inc.:
Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, GLI, Passat, Passat wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg 2 and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2009 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with Electronic Stabilization Program. This is important because the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com or http://www.media.vw.com to learn more.
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