NASCAR WCUP: Jarrett heads west in search of more progress and points
Posted By Terry CallahanMotorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
April 26, 2001
FONTANA, Calif., April 26, 2001 - Going places he's never gone before.
As the NASCAR Winston Cup Series officially hit the quarter turn of its 2001 campaign, Dale Jarrett had already done that twice in the young season with first-ever visits to Victory Lane at both Texas and Martinsville. This weekend, he and his #88 UPS teammates will try to turn the trick at California Speedway.
Items of note heading into Sunday's California 500 (FOX; 2:30 EDT):
Jarrett might not have finished where he wanted to at Talladega, but there was a victory of sorts for the #88 UPS Team, which tacked on 22 points to its lead over Jeff Gordon in the Winston Cup standings. That advantage now stands at 145 points after nine of 36 races.
Qualifying well has been an "on again, off again" proposition for Jarrett at California Speedway (see below for overall record). He's alternated top-10 starts around two starting positions in the 30's. If history affords an accurate indication and this pattern holds, Jarrett will again be starting in the top ten!
Toss out an engine-related 41st-place finish in '98 and Jarrett's been a permanent top-10 presence here including a career-best, 5th-place effort in '99.
Jarrett shared recently his thoughts on competing at California Speedway:
"One of the first questions we're asked as drivers is, 'What's your favorite race track?' and my answer is usually Michigan (Speedway) or the last place we've won, which for us is Martinsville right now. California resembles Michigan in many ways and we're looking forward to being there again. Horsepower comes back into play, there's plenty of room to pass and I think everybody on this team is eager to get back to racing."
UPS crew chief Todd Parrott on the "win" at Talladega and what lies ahead:
" The morale is still good but we're used to coming home with the trophy," Parrott said. "But realizing we came out of Talladega with our driver and race car in one piece, and we gained points on the 24 car, you have to consider that a win last weekend. We just need to pick up as many points as possible each week and hopefully we'll continue that in California. We're going with our guns loaded, taking all that Robert Yates' horsepower with us, so I think everybody feels good about our chances."
Text provided by Kris Johnson
Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot photos and racing art, please visit The Racing Image Galleries and The Visions of Speed Art Gallery .