The motor started going south on the #88 UPS Ford Fusion during the closing laps of the GFS Marketplace 400 at Michigan International Speedway. The result was a DNF and a 36th-place finish for Dale Jarrett and the #88 UPS Racing Team.
Jarrett started the race in 37th place but raced his way into the top 25 and competed in the 15th to 25th-place range throughout the race. The handling on the car flirted between a slightly loose-handling condition and a tight condition. On lap 159, however, Jarrett told the crew over the radio that the motor sounded "flat" on the UPS Ford Fusion. When racing resumed on lap 163 Jarrett slid from 22nd to 30th as a result of the engine issue. The team brought the car into the garage on lap 165, effectively ending the team's day.
"The car was not too bad there during a couple different runs," Jarrett said. "The motor started going flat on that last caution and the car never got back up to speed when we got back to racing. It was disappointing but at least we were running somewhat better than we had been."
In his debut for Robert Yates Racing, rookie driver David Gilliland had a tough go of it behind the wheel of the #38 M&M'S® Ford Fusion. He brushed the wall on lap 53, creating some slight chassis damage, and cut a right-front tire down in the process, which created even more damage to the right front nose of the car. The team made repairs to the car and Gilliland returned to the track around lap 105 in an effort to run as many laps as possible for car owner points and seat time and finished 38th.
Matt Kenseth scored the win at Michigan and gained ground on points leader Jimmie Johnson. Kenseth is currently 58 points behind the top spot with three races left until the Chase for the Championship. Jarrett fell two spots to 26th in the standings.
It's off to the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway next weekend for a Saturday night classic under the lights. The Sharpie 500 will start at 7:40 p.m. EDT and TNT will provide live television coverage of the event beginning with pre-race activities that start at 7 p.m. EDT.
