Yep, in an interview of him that I read he said that if he thought NHRA would let him get away with it, (He knew they wouldn't) he'd just drive right around the water box and head straight for the line. He also acknowledged it would be hugely unpopular with the fans, so he's never pushed the idea too hard.
In the instances I remember where, due to difficulty starting up, a team has been forced to skip the burnout, (once, with Cruz Pedregon comes to mind.) it really hasn't made all that much difference.