Jarrett, UPS rumors persist

Elwood · July 28, 2003

Inside Dish: Jarrett, UPS rumors persist

By Lee Spencer - SportingNews.com

Robert Yates squelched rumors about selling his team, but buzz persists regarding driver Dale Jarrett and the UPS sponsorship. With a yearly investment of $16 million, UPS isn't taking the recent turmoil on the No. 88 team lightly, and there has been talk that if Jarrett leaves Yates, UPS will go with him. That would make for an impressive package for an organization looking for a sponsor.

Some believe Jarrett, the 1999 Winston Cup champion, will finish his career with Joe Gibbs Racing and team manager Jimmy Makar, his brother-in-law. …

Sources in the garage say the AOL ride is available next season and that the sponsor would like a mature driver capable of winning races. Sounds like the perfect fit for Ward Burton. Not only has he won at a variety of tracks, he would be a good hunting buddy for owner Richard Childress. …

Ford will begin the approval process for the 2004 Taurus when it submits the new car to NASCAR next week. Wood Brothers Racing was commissioned to build the new model and will take it to Roush Racing in Charlotte for a final template check before turning the car over to NASCAR for testing.

"We're hoping to lose a little drag off the rear of the car and come up with a piece that puts us more in line with the other cars," says Ford field manager Robin Pemberton.

He says the grille and tail will change slightly, but because the new templates are so generic, there's not a lot any of the manufacturers can do. NASCAR will take the car to the wind tunnel in Marietta, Ga., and track test it at Atlanta Motor Speedway before signing off on the new model. …

Goodyear officials don't expect problems with tires at Indianapolis despite three blowouts during testing earlier this month. It wasn't determined what happened to Mike Wallace's Pontiac, but Christian Fittipaldi and Todd Bodine both ran over debris.

Bodine inadvertently tested the SAFER wall barrier, and despite some moderate discomfort, he was satisfied with the result. He described the hit as a spongy sensation and said, "Without that wall, I would have been hurt or at least very sore." …

There likely won't be a Cup race at Pikes Peak International Raceway near Colorado Springs in the near future. The facility barely was half-full for the Busch Series race last Saturday. Insiders have intimated that if a Cup race is held in Colorado, it would be at a track built closer to Denver's airport by International Speedway Corporation. …

NASCAR might have thought the feud between Mike Bliss and Bobby Hamilton Jr. ended on Lap 63 of the Busch 250, when Bliss dumped Hamilton in retribution for a wreck-causing hit at New Hampshire, but that was just Round 2.

Sources say an altercation between one of Hamilton's crew members and Bliss broke out after the plane carrying both teams from Colorado landed in Charlotte. Bet this doesn't continue in Indianapolis.

Truckman031 · July 28, 2003

I didn't know Steve Park was only hired to finish the season. Does Ward Burton want to leave the 22 team? Sorry, I haven't seen SportsCenter or watched a race in two weeks, been busy.

Elwood · July 29, 2003

I knew Park was only for the season, but I figured RCR would pick him up full time after that if all goes well. But it doesn't sound like it.

I've heard rumors about Burton being unhappy for a season or two.

I'm sure it will get interesting the rest of the season.

SilveradoWV · July 29, 2003

Wonder whats going to happen with the #4 car, I always thought they were a fairly good team, all they needed was a driver??

Truckman031 · July 30, 2003

I knew Park was only for the season, but I figured RCR would pick him up full time after that if all goes well. But it doesn't sound like it.

I've heard rumors about Burton being unhappy for a season or two.

I'm sure it will get interesting the rest of the season.

I was never a fan of Steve Park's driving. He just never seems to finish strong.