Ward of the Woods: Burton's Halifax County wildlife refuge

HALIFAX CO., Va. -

It smells of burning wood, fresh cut pine, fresh air, and dirt on a rare warm day in January.

On thousands of acres of land, one lifelong farmer and nature lover is clearing land by burning brush for a new forest, part of a habitat enhancement project soon to be full of trees and plenty of food for birds and four-legged creatures that will soon call this place home.

"It's really part of who I am," said Ward Burton.

It's not the atmosphere you'd think to find former NASCAR driver Ward Burton, but this peaceful refuge is where he spends all of his time, a far cry from a noisy racetrack.

Burton went pro in the early nineties with five career wins in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series. In 2002 he won the sport's premier event, the Daytona 500.

He never backed off the throttle just stepped into a whole different make and model off the beaten path. His vehicle of choice for leisure is now a golf cart.

"Even when I was racing I always longed to be back, back here," Burton said.

Burton grew up in rural Halifax County, near South Boston, and it's a place he never wants to leave.

"Now that we're going to get sunlight to the canopy in there that will start growing up with vegetation for all small game as well as big game. Everything out here has got a plan," Burton said.

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Ward of the Woods: Burton's Halifax County wildlife refuge