NASCAR WCUP: Jarrett looks to recapture consistent ways at Texas
Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
March 29, 2001FORT WORTH, Texas, - Much coveted by all Winston Cup contenders, consistency is the most important ingredient in the recipe for realizing a championship. #88 UPS driver Dale Jarrett understands this as he ventures to Texas in search of a second 2001 victory and fifth top-10 finish in Sunday's Harrah's 500 (FOX; 1 p.m. EDT). Items of note include:
The UPS driver holds a 45-point advantage over Jeff Gordon for the Winston Cup points lead heading into Sunday's race. Jarrett will seek his fifth top-10 finish in the seventh "Cup" event of the young season, which he was in line for last week at Bristol before a downed left-rear tire relegated him to 16th in the final order of finish.
Jarrett has one pole position to his credit at Texas Motor Speedway. That came in 1997 for the track's inaugural Winston Cup event. And it also came as a result of inclement weather that wiped out the qualifying session.
After winning the season's only Winston Cup leader bonus so far at Darlington ($50,000), Jarrett will try for his second such award at Texas. This time, the incentive is $20,000 for the points leader should he win the Harrah's 500.
Unlike the name of Texas Motor Speedway's Winston Cup event, which has changed annually since its inception in 1997, the need for horsepower remains a constant at the 1.5-mile track. Jarrett addressed that and other issues recently:
"Texas is one of those tracks where you absolutely have to have a good engine to do well," Jarrett said. "Power means a lot at this place and Robert (Yates) gives us everything we need to succeed. I think that will certainly help both Ricky (Rudd) and myself on Sunday."
He added, "We've had a couple of real close calls in terms of winning at Texas Motor Speedway. And the fact that this is a key market for UPS means a victory would be real nice for them and for us as we move ahead into April."
Text provided by Kris Johnson
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