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NASCAR WCUP: Jarrett hopes to leave his signature of success at Bristol

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
August 21, 2001

BRISTOL, Tenn - The one invaluable tool that all NASCAR Winston Cup drivers must carry with them throughout any given race weekend isn't by any meaningful means mechanical, but is oh, so critical in maintaining off-track success.

As he makes his way through throngs of adoring fans, #88 UPS driver Dale Jarrett always has this instrument at the ready. The Sharpie, ubiquitous as it is reliable in the NASCAR garage area, serves not only as the driver's unofficial autograph pen of choice, but also as sponsor for this Saturday's night race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Noteworthy items heading into Saturday's Sharpie 500 (TNT; 8 p.m. EDT):

* Jarrett owns one career NASCAR Winston Cup victory at Bristol Motor Speedway -- and it came in this event back in 1997.

* In addition to his second career "Cup" win at the "world's fastest half-mile," Jarrett will also be seeking to turn the tide in his ongoing chase for the 2001 Winston Cup crown. A downed tire relegated Jarrett to 36th in last weekend's rain-shortened Michigan race and also contributed to his 16th-place run at Bristol in the spring.

* Bristol's night race is arguably NASCAR's greatest spectacle. Competing under the lights in a football stadium setting, Jarrett and the rest of Saturday's Sharpie 500 field will careen around a .533-mile collision course that features NASCAR's highest degree of banking at 36 degrees.

* Friday's qualifying plays an integral part in any success a driver enjoys on race day at Bristol. Consider: Jarrett made six consecutive top-10 starts spanning 1996-1998 and went on to finish in the top 10 on all six occasions. To nobody's surprise, his average starting spot (6.6) during that stretch was the key, spawning an average finish of 3.6.

* Jarrett spoke on his team's recent reversal of fortune and the approach they need to take in the season's remaining 13 races, starting Saturday at Bristol Motor Speedway:

"As good as things were going for us at one time this year, they are going that bad right now," Jarrett said. "Unfortunately, deals like (Michigan) are part of it. We just have to go back and try to win races and then we'll move on from there. We need to get back to where we were at the beginning of the season and see how the rest of the races play out."

Text provided by Kris Johnson

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.