Name: Bernadette Burton
Location: Dana Point, CA
Age: 30
Occupation: Finance
How long have you been a fan
Around 2003. I was at a Lowes with some girlfriends in Durham NC trying to buy home improvement items for our newly rented house. We begged the store manager for the cardboard stand up of JJ at the door. We had no clue who he was.

How did your interest in racing start
My brother is a huge fan of old school racing and Sterling Marlin, and at first I lived the sport vicariously through him. I never grasped the true "fandom" until my first race in 2006 at Charlotte.

Who was your first favorite driver
Jimmie Johnson has been it! Ever since that year we kept him hanging out in our TV room in Chapel Hill after they humored us at Lowes for the stand up.

Who is your current favorite driver
Jimmie Johnson

If you had three hours to spend with your favorite driver, what would you do
Well at California I had less than a minute with him, but it was definitely an awe-inspiring one. I am fascinated when in teh garage area. I love watching them work on the cars and hearing how adjustments affect its handling. I would love to ride in a car with Jimmie around the race track to get the feel of what it really feels in the car and how to adjust for each situation.

What is your most memorable moment in racing
Waving the flag at qualifying at Fontana from the flag stand then having the press take pictures of us with Jimmie when he won the pole. It was my 6th race in a row at Cal Speedway and definitely worth the horrendous heat.

How many races do you attend each year
3-4. I try to get to both Charlotte races, being from NC, and I attend both California races. This year I hope to make it to Phoenix.

What is your favorite track
Probably Martinsville for the short track experience, but definitely love the racing at Lowes. It woudl be great to one day head to Bristol or Talledega.

If you worked in racing, what job would you do
I would not mind being an in-the-pits reporter. You would be constantly up close to the action, sounds, and excitement. I also hear I wave the flag rather professionally!

If you were in charge of NASCAR, what would you change
Strangely, I did like Michael Waltrip's suggestion that we raise the banking at California and turn it in to a restrictor plate race. Just because I attend the race every year does not mean I don't think it's a sleeper. I enjoyed watching JJ win Labor Day weekend but if it was not my driver, I would have suffered through another ho-hum Fontana experience. And it's too hot out there for it to be fun to watch 500 miles of single-file racing. I would also revisit the top 35 and how it is used to set the field when qualifying is rained out. It's just not fair to send guys home without racing. Find another way, maybe the top twenty make it and the rest have a shortened qualifying on race day. The Nationwide series qualifies on race day, why can't the Sprint Cup series?