For the third race in a row, the #44 UPS Team was a victim of problems that resulted in engine failures. Problems in the engine department forced the team to retire early from Talladega, Charlotte and again on Monday at Dover International Speedway. All of the water in the car was drained as the result of a hole in the radiator which ultimately burned up the engine on the #44 UPS Toyota. When all was said and done Dale Jarrett and the #44 UPS Team were scored in 43rd place at the end of the Autism Speaks 400.
After being delayed for a day due to rain showers, the Autism Speaks 400 started with the UPS Team in the 22nd position. Going into the event the team knew that the UPS Toyota was not as fast as it needed to be at the beginning of a run, but that the car's speed did not drop off compared to other cars. Jarrett started in 22nd and slid all the way back to 39th by the time the first designated caution waved on lap 25. During the next 40 laps, Jarrett lost positions on the restart but finally started passing cars and was 35th when the second designated caution waved on lap 65.
The handling on the UPS Toyota was at its best during the next 70 laps as Jarrett climbed into the top 25 by lap 125 and was pressing for more. The race went south for Team UPS on lap 230 when Jarrett reported what he thought to be a battery issue. On lap 240, crew chief Jason Burdett had Jarrett come down pit lane to make a battery change which required several laps to complete. When Jarrett returned to competition the car did not come up to speed. Upon further inspection the UPS Team realized the car had lost all its water as the result of a hole in the radiator which ultimately killed the engine and the UPS Team's chances for a good day.
"I guess something flew up and knocked a hole in the radiator," Jarrett said. "We had a pretty decent race car and we were able to be competitive. I noticed it started losing some power. Then, we made our pit stop and went back out after that and it never ran the same. It ran the battery down and got really hot. It got hot and I did notice it on the temperature gauge - I knew the temp had gone up - but it wasn't excessive. But, because there was no water in it there wasn't anything in there to get hot. It showed me the thing was cooking. A little bad luck for us today. The guys did a good job of adjusting the car. We got a lot more competitive. We were pretty good until the motor started to go because of that."
Jarrett's teammate and car owner Michael Waltrip made only his second start of the 2007 NASCAR season beginning the 400-lap race from the 23rd position. Handling problems caused Waltrip to lose a lap to the leaders early. An accident at around lap 320 forced Waltrip to lose more laps and he finally finished the event in 28th position.
A brand new winner graced the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series victory lane for the second race in a row as Martin Truex, Jr. dominated the Autism Speaks 400 at Dover. Ryan Newman came home second with Carl Edwards following closely in third.
The Nextel Cup Series travels to Pocono Raceway for next weekend's Pocono 500 in Long Pond, Pa. FOX concluded their 2007 NASCAR broadcast schedule in Dover on Monday. TNT picks up the schedule beginning with a pre-race show that starts next Sunday at 1:30 p.m. EDT. The green flag is scheduled to wave at 2 p.m. EDT.
