DJ Looks for 500-Mile Darlington Win

CHARLOTTE, N.C., (May 3, 2005) ----- Dale Jarrett and the #88 UPS Racing Team prepare for the lone race to take place at the track referred to as “too tough to tame.” Much like the veteran drivers of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, Darlington Raceway is the cagey veteran of race tracks with more than 50 years of racing taking place on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval track. It is a weekend of firsts at Darlington as it marks the first time the NEXTEL Cup Series will race at the track under the lights and on Mother’s Day weekend. To commemorate the occasion, Jarrett will race a special Mother’s Day paint scheme to honor mothers across the country, specifically his mom, Martha.

While Jarrett’s last few visits to Darlington Raceway have been plagued by accidents, the track is one where the veteran driver has excelled in the past. In 34 starts at Darlington, Jarrett has experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows – all a result of trying to tame the track that is “too tough.”

“You know going in that this is a track where you have to know the physical limitations,” Jarrett said of Darlington. “You always hear about drivers racing the track instead of other drivers. This is the one place where that is the most important. If you don’t give the track its respect, then you will end up with a “Darlington stripe,” which makes what is already a long race even longer because nine times out of 10 you’re going to do some damage. Once you hit the concrete wall at Darlington you’re in trouble because you’ve more than likely done some damage.”

Jarrett Discusses Racing at Darlington Raceway

How important is it to keep a track like Darlington on the NASCAR schedule?

“Darlington is a track that has meant to much to our sport and has played a big role in helping develop the sport into what it is today. Sure a lot of things have changed since they started racing at Darlington, however many years ago that is – but there are changes going on everywhere. We don’t need everything the same and obviously there isn’t another track on the circuit like Darlington. So I think we’ve got to have race tracks like this.”

It isn’t quite the same as the Southern 500 with which everyone is familiar but it is still a 500-mile race at Darlington. How important is it to win a 500-miler at Darlington to you?

“It is certainly something I’d like to do. A lot of things have changed with our sport. We only race at Darlington once now but at least we still are racing here and I’m glad I have another opportunity to win one of these races. Sure you don’t have the same elements we used to have with the Southern 500 in August, but I think that a win this weekend would be neat because we are at one of the oldest tracks on the circuit and it’s now under lights so I think that’s going to be something of stature in itself. A win at Darlington is special no matter the length because it takes so many things to happen in order to be successful there but it would mean a lot to me to get that 500-mile race win.”

How special is it to be able to have your mom here for Mother’s Day weekend?

“Yeah that’s another thing that’s different is us racing on Mother’s Day. UPS is giving us this opportunity to wish all the moms out there a Happy Mother’s Day and I think it is going to be a special day because not only will my mom be there but I’ll have Kelley there with the kids and a lot of the other drivers get to honor their moms in the special activities that are taking place this weekend so I am looking forward to that.”

Notes of Interest

� Jarrett has three career wins at Darlington Raceway. If he were to win this weekend, however, it would be his first win in one of Darlington’s 500-mile races. All three of Jarrett’s wins at Darlington have taken place during the track’s 400-mile events which traditionally took place during the spring. Jarrett’s most recent win at Darlington was in the spring of 2001.

� Jarrett has a total of five top-five finishes in what has been known as the Southern 500.

Chassis 38

Chassis 38 is the car Jarrett will race this weekend at Darlington Raceway. This marks the first time Chassis 38 has been raced during the 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series season. Jarrett last raced Chassis 38 during the 2004 season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway where he was racing in the top 10 during the closing laps when he ran out of fuel due to a green-white-checker finish. Prior to Homestead, Chassis 38 was raced by Jarrett at Dover in September 2004 where he started the race in 11^th and raced to a fourth-place finish.

Jarrett’s Career Record at Darlington Raceway

Year		Spring Race		St	Fin		Laps Led	Status			$ Won		Fall Race			St	Fin		Laps Led	Status		$ Won
2004		Dodge Dealers 400		22	32		0	Running			$82,442		Southern 500			12	37		0	Accident		$84,992
2003		Dodge Dealers 400		36	18		7	Running			90,673		Southern 500			19	34		0	Running		96,543
2002		Dodge Dealers 400		22	40		0	Engine			83,193		Southern 500			10	5		1	Running		104,520
2001		Dodge Dealers 400		2	1		16	Running			214,612		Southern 500			27	34		53	Running		82,417
2000		Mall.com 400		17	2		26	Running			90,905		Southern 500			9	5		3	Running		80,570
1999		Transouth 400		21	4		0	Running			60,305		Southern 500			36	16		23	Running		50,960
1998		Transouth 400		3	1		68	Running			110,035		Southern 500			1	3		15	Running		79,220
1997		Transouth 400		1	1		171	Running			142,860		Southern 500			3	3		38	Running		47,505
1996		Transouth 400		3	15		10	Running			22,950		Southern 500			1	14		23	Running		128,165
1995		Transouth 400		26	38		0	Transmission			22,809		Southern 500			12	28		0	Running		24,870
1994		Transouth 400		14	4		9	Running			27,550		Southern 500			35	9		0	Running		23,370
1993		Transouth 400		4	3		1	Running			30,685		Southern 500			27	12		0	Running		16,510
1992		Transouth 400		9	21		0	Running			4,950		Southern 500			17	6		21	Running		19,055
1991		Transouth 500		14	39		0	Accident			5,670		Southern 500			8	25		1	Running		7,545
1990													Southern 500			18	28		1	Accident		6,655
1989		Transouth 500		9	40		0	Engine			3,645		Southern 500			26	20		0	Running		7,810
1988		Transouth 500		32	12		0	Running			3,520		Southern 500			18	34		0	Engine		2,850
1987													Southern 500			38	15		0	Running		9,110

			Starts			Wins			Top Five	Top 10		Poles		Laps Led	Average Start			Average Finish			Earnings
	Spring		16			3			7	7		1		308	14.6			17			$996,804
	Fall		18			0			4	6		2		179	17.6			18			$872,667
	Totals:		34			3			11	13		3		487	16			17.6			$1,869,471

Jarrett’s 2005 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Record

Date

Race Location

Start

Finish

LR/LC

Laps Led

Earnings

Points

2/12

*Daytona Beach, Fla. (Bud Shootout)

70/70

$37,445

N/A

2/17

*Daytona Beach, Fla. (Twin 150)

60/60

21,313

N/A

2/20

Daytona Beach, Fla. (Daytona 500)

200/200

$286,283

15^th

2/27

Fontana, Calif.

250/250

130,458

11^th

3/13

Las Vegas, Nev.

267/267

125,683

11^th

3/20

Hampton, Ga.

323/325

104,618

15^th

4/3

Bristol, Tenn.

500/500

128,828

8^th

4/10

Martinsville, Va.

500/500

106,733

10^th

4/17

Fort Worth, Texas

334/334

119,425

10^th

4/23

Phoenix, Ariz.

311/312

100,083

13^th

5/1

Talladega, Ala.

194/194

132,488

7^th

5/7

Darlington, S.C.

5/14

Richmond, Va.

5/21

Nextel All-Star Challenge

5/29

Charlotte, N.C.

6/5

Dover, Del.

6/12

Long Pond, Pa.

6/19

Brooklyn, Mich.

6/26

Sonoma, Calif.

7/2

Daytona Beach, Fla.

7/10

Joliet, Ill.

7/17

Loudon, N.H.

7/24

Long Pond, Pa.

8/7

Indianapolis, Ind.

8/14

Watkins Glen, N.Y.

8/21

Brooklyn, Mich.

8/27

Bristol, Va.

9/4

Fontana, Calif.

9/10

Richmond, Va.

9/18

Loudon, N.H.

9/25

Dover, Del.

10/2

Talladega, Ala.

10/9

Kansas City, Ks.

10/15

Charlotte, N.C.

10/23

Martinsville, Va.

10/30

Atlanta, Ga.

11/6

Fort Worth, Texas

11/13

Phoenix, Ariz.

11/20

Homestead, Fla.

Starts

Wins

Top Fives

Top 10s

Poles

Outside

Poles

Laps

Led

DNFs

Laps Run

Laps Complete

Earnings

2,882

2,879

$1,319,615

*Only the money won is included in stat totals from the non-points events.

/HTML>