This weekend's Ford 400 marks the end of the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season. As this season comes to a close, NASCAR fans will see several changes to their favorite sport. Dale Jarrett and his #44 UPS Team will look to finish their season on a high note. It will be the final time the veteran driver, Jarrett, will race at the mile-and-a-half speedway, and he hopes to deliver a good finish for his fans.
"To say it's been a struggle is probably an understatement," Jarrett said of the last few weeks of the season. "Given how much our intermediate track program has improved I think it's safe to say we're excited about the opportunity that Homestead presents to us next weekend. It'd be nice to go down there and qualify solidly for the race and then be somewhat competitive on Sunday."
The Ford 400 is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. EST start this Sunday.
Dale Jarrett Discusses Racing at Homestead-Miami Speedway
What do you think about Homestead?
"It's obviously in a good location for the end of the season. Being in sunny Florida in November is always a big plus. But it's a fun track. You know, they've gone through a major overhaul with the banking a couple years ago and it made it a faster track. It's actually a pretty big track too. You have a lot of real estate to work with and multiple grooves, so it definitely makes for some good racing. It took some getting used to though. I remember when we first tested here after they changed it to this new progressive banking it took me some time to what I needed to do to get around the track. I found myself overdriving Turn One all the time. I'm looking forward to my last race here. This swing here with the last couple races, it's finally starting to set in a little more. Hopefully we can use this last race of the season as a springboard into next year and get a good finish and end the year on a high note. I'd like to see this team build some momentum for the off-season and next year too."
What do you think about all the changes going on in NASCAR these days?
"Yeah, it's pretty crazy these days, isn't it? There really are a lot of changes going on, but that's a good thing. I think it speaks to the strength of the sport and to NASCAR to be able to handle those changes. Having to switch the name of the series again, and now changing over the cars to the new Car of Tomorrow, it's a lot to manage. I think many other sports would stumble a little bit to go through such big transitions like those, but I think we'll see the NASCAR folks handle all of that fairly well. As far as the COT, it looks like it's going to be a safer car, and that's never a bad thing. You'll probably still see a fairly sharp learning curve into next year, but after that teams will gradually get the hang of it more and more, and things should start to level out probably about midway through. I've been in this sport a while, and change is just something you have to get used to. From your car, to your sponsor, to your crew and everything else, it seems like everything is constantly changing, and you just have to get used to it. So really this is nothing new. It's just the way it goes. Typically, those people that can adapt the quickest will be the most successful."
UPS Racing Team Notes of Interest
- Dale Jarrett finished fifth in the inaugural Nextel Cup race at Homestead-Miami Speedway in 1999.
- Jarrett has been running at the end of each of the eight Nextel Cup races that have taken place at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
- In his eight starts, Jarrett has one top-five and one top-10 finish.
- Jarrett has completed 99 percent of the laps run at Homestead-Miami Speedway while leading a total of 28 laps.
