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“No one’s ever proven to me why you can’t do at 41 what you could do at 23,” Burton said. “We’re lucky to be in a sport that you can be successful in your 40s. You can convince yourself you’re too old to do it. Trust me, a lot of people will try to convince you you’re too old to do it.

“But with age comes a lot of advantages, too. And we’ll try to take those advantages every chance we get.”

Burton’s peak started 11 years ago, when he started a string of five consecutive multiple-win seasons. In that period, he notched 17 victories and 102 top 10 finishes while slowly moving up in the standings.

He finished fifth in the standings twice, including his six-win season in 1999. He’d moved up to third in the final points the next season, and went into 2001 as the prohibitive favorite to win his first Cup title.

The wins dried up — he didn’t reach Victory Lane from 2002 through 2005 — and left longtime car owner Jack Roush for a fresh start with slumping Richard Childress Racing.

“Someone asked me a while ago about age, why I pick drivers — not in their golden years, but in their good years, as I call ‘em,” Childress said. “But age, like Jeff said, is only in your mind. If you take care of your body like Jeff does physically, your mind will be good.”

Burton has proven that the past three seasons, steadily becoming relevant again.

He made his first Chase in 2006, and used a victory in Round 2 at Dover to take over the points lead. He stayed on top of the standings almost a month, and finished seventh.

“It had been a while since I had been in the mix. So we were getting accustomed to all that again,” Burton said.

This time he’s relaxed, secure in his spot as an afterthought among the title contenders. His win Saturday night moved him into second, gave him his first multiple-win season since 2001, and the confidence to make a run at the title.

“There’s a lot that’s going to happen between now and then,” Burton said.