Dale Jarrett and the UPS Team started off Speedweeks 2008 at Daytona International Speedway with an appearance in the Budweiser Shootout. Jarrett, a three-time winner of the event, rebounded from trouble in Friday's practice session to finish inside the top 15 on Saturday night.
As a result of the selection process in which drivers randomly drew their starting spot, Jarrett started the 70-lap event from the 15th position but was forced to drop to the back of the field after changing an engine during the first practice session on Friday. Joining Jarrett in the rear of the field were six of his fellow competitors, many of who were involved in a multi-car accident in Friday's final Shootout practice session.
The format of the Budweiser Shootout is two segments separated by a ten-minute break. During the first 20-lap segment, Jarrett radioed to his UPS crew that the #44 UPS Camry was fighting a tight-handling condition. The first caution flag of the Shootout dropped with a handful of laps remaining in the first segment after Bill Elliott cut a tire and made hard contact with the outside wall in his #21 entry. The segment ended under caution with Jarrett in the 19th position.
Jarrett entered pit road during the ten minute break for major changes to the #44 UPS Toyota. The team made several adjustments to Jarrett's Toyota Camry including adding a spring rubber to the left rear and changes to the camber and wedge. Jarrett started the second segment from the 19th position but dropped to the rear of the field quickly after the drop of the green flag. A second caution flag fell shortly after the restart and Jarrett radioed that his handling had improved but that he now was battling an issue with his motor which had started to cut out, causing him to lose valuable time to the field.
During the caution Jarrett once again came to the attention of his crew for a four-tire stop and adjustments to the UPS Toyota. Jarrett returned to the track in the 17th position for the restart but the car remained tight as the laps continued to tick away. A total of four cautions fell in Saturday's Shootout with the third allowing Jarrett's team another opportunity to make changes to his Camry. This time the team made adjustments to the car's track bar as well as a four-tire change and the addition of fuel which guaranteed Jarrett would make it to the finish.
Following the restart on lap 53, Jarrett moved up into the top 15 battling to the end to take the checkered flag in the 13th position.
"We battled a problem that just seems to be a part of these new cars in that it was tight," Jarrett said after the race. "We battled tight-handling conditions and then we had an issue with the motor which is something we'll need to revisit as we prepare for the rest of Speed Weeks. It was good to be able to get on the track and to get a feel for how these cars are going to handle here in Daytona. We just have some work to do."
In his first start for Hendrick Motorsports, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. posted a win in Saturday's Budweiser Shootout marking his second career Shootout victory. Earnhardt held off Tony Stewart in the closing laps, denying the driver of the #20 his fourth Shootout victory and what would have been the first win for Toyota at the Sprint Cup Series level.
Speedweeks continues on Sunday with qualifying for the Daytona 500. The first car is scheduled to roll off at 1:15 p.m. EST and the two top qualifiers will be locked in on the front row for the 50th running of the season's premier race. The remaining cars will determine their starting position in the Gatorade Duels on Thursday, February 14 with the first of the two races beginning at 2 p.m. EST.
