Jeff Burton helps to demo MIS

Jeff Burton was on hand Wednesday at Michigan International Speedway to help finish off the demolition of the 27-year-old infield suites.

Despite having Caterpillar (CAT) as primary sponsor of his #31 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Burton seldom has had few chances to do something quite like this.

“I’ve had very few opportunities to operate a piece of CAT equipment and that was sure a lot of fun,” Burton said. “I can’t say enough for MIS and other racetracks in NASCAR who do such a wonderful job of continuing to invest money into their facilities to make them the best possible venues for our loyal NASCAR fans.”

“It’s not as easy as it looks that’s for sure,” Burton said. “After a little practice I was getting the hang of it. I enjoyed it.”

Demolition began immediately following the recent NASCAR “Show Me the Carfax” race weekend at Michigan International Speedway.

The new two-story suite/media center building will house 31 corporate suites overlooking pit road and will be encompass the second floor. The new state-of-the-art media, technology and meeting center will be housed on the first floor along with a dining area for press and a new kitchen.

“Gasoline Alley” will also get a revamp along with a modification to pit road and the current fire lane.

The renovations are expected to be completed three weeks before the track’s next NASCAR race weekend from June 11-13, 2010.

Photos courtesy of Michigan International Speedway.

Click on each photo to enlarge.