Chevy Rock & Roll 400 - Dale Jarrett Notes

Dale Jarrett
Chevrolet 400 at Richmond International Raceway
September 10, 2005

MOORESVILLE, N.C., (September 6, 2005) ----- Dale Jarrett and the UPS Team travel to Richmond International Raceway in 14th place in the point standings, 117 points out of 10th place. This weekend’s Chevy Rock-n-Roll 400 marks the cutoff before the Chase for the Championship begins. The UPS Team travels to Richmond with a distance chance of making the Chase. The UPS Team has struggled to find success at Richmond during the course of the last few seasons, although it is a place where Jarrett and the #88 Robert Yates Racing Team have won twice. The team has taken steps to remedy the situation they face at Richmond with a two-day test session in which they participated prior to traveling to California Speedway for last weekend’s race.

“Richmond hasn’t been a strong track for us in recent years,” Jarrett said. “It’s a track that I’ve always enjoyed as a competitor, though and it is one where this team has performed well at in past years. I think we can find that success again, we’ve obviously got to dig down and get some work down. Everyone on this team is committed to getting this team back into race-winning contention. It’s just going to take some time. I think the most important thing for us is finding an aerodynamic package that isn’t so affected by race traffic. Once we find that, I think we’ll make some progress.”

Jarrett Discusses Racing at Richmond

What has become so difficult at Richmond?
“I can’t say that we have fought the same thing. The track itself has changed some with the couple times it has been repaved and other changes. We just haven’t done a very good job of keeping up with those changes. We tested at Richmond a couple weeks ago and I think that’s the first time we’ve done that in a few years. The extra time there will hopefully help us out when we unload there this weekend and we can see where we are compared to everyone else, especially the guys who tested when we were at Richmond.”

What makes Richmond so special?
“I think it’s a great track and anyone that is looking to build a track should consider Richmond as a blueprint for future facilities. It’s a three-quarter mile track, but it doesn’t drive like a short track. It’s D-shaped, kind of like a Charlotte or one of those 1.5-mile tracks so aerodynamics comes into play at Richmond. Aero is important as is engines, but you also need to make sure you have a good brake system and be prepared for close quarter racing. It is definitely a track where there’s a premium on track position.

Are you disappointed at missing the Chase this year?
“Yes, for a few reasons. I know we haven’t been mathematically eliminated but there are four or five guys in front of us that would have to have serious problems for us to make it. It is disappointing to miss out on the opportunity to win a championship, but we’re just not a team capable of that right now. It would have been a great season for us to have been competitive just because we were able to do the one thing a lot of teams didn’t and that’s not have too many problems, equipment failures or racing accidents. So it’s extremely disappointing we weren’t any more competitive than we have been, not just for missing the Chase but that it’s been a long time since we’ve won a race.”

Notes of Interest