In his final run at Atlanta Motor Speedway (AMS), Dale Jarrett and the UPS Team rebounded after a frustrating qualifying effort on Friday. Starting from the shotgun position, Jarrett climbed his way through the field to finish 26th in the Kobalt Tools 500.
Jarrett secured his spot in the field by use of the champion's provisional after a disappointing qualifying run which placed him 43rd for Sunday's starting grid. The weekend continued to prove trying for Team 44 as they worked to find the right set-up for the UPS Toyota. On Sunday, the hard work paid off as Jarrett and crew chief Bill Pappas found a winning combination in the opening laps of the Kobalt Tools 500 allowing Jarrett to charge from the rear of the field.
In the first 20 laps of the race, the #44 passed a total of 12 cars moving into the 31st position. Unfortunately, the lack of track position translated to a loss for Jarrett as he fell one lap behind the race leader, Dale Earnhardt, Jr., on lap 29. Regardless, Jarrett continued his move towards the front racing into the top-25 by the midpoint of the race.
Pappas made only slight chassis adjustment to the #44 Camry on Sunday, relying on his veteran driver to communicate the car's handling issues prior to pit stops. With only slight changes made to the wedge and tire pressure during the race, Jarrett was able to keep his sights set on a top-25 or even possibly a top-20 finish. As the laps clicked away though, the loose handling condition that had haunted Jarrett on Friday and Saturday returned and the #44 car fell off its previous pace. While the team was disappointed at the loss of position at the race's end, they still had reason to hold their heads high after picking up one position in the championship points standings moving Jarrett into 32nd.
"That's definitely the best handle we had on the car all weekend," Jarrett said. "The handling was pretty good up until the closing laps and then we just got really loose. We would've liked to end up the top-25 but lost a few positions there at the end. It seemed like everyone was having a tough time finding the right combination during the race but our team really made big strides from qualifying and practice and that's a good step in the right direction."
Team Toyota scored their first Sprint Cup victory on Sunday at Atlanta Motor Speedway after Kyle Busch posted the win in the #18 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing. Today's finish marked the third top-10 for Busch in 2008, who had a dominant car throughout the race, leading 173 of the 325 total laps. Tony Stewart finished in the second position follow by Dale Earnhardt, Jr. in the third spot.
David Reutimann posted a top-20 finish on Sunday at AMS for Michael Waltrip Racing in the #00 Toyota. The finish moved Reutimann into the 27th position in the Series championship point standings. Teammate Michael Waltrip experienced early frustrations after making contact with the outside retaining wall on lap seven. The #55 Team finished in the 33rd position, four laps behind the race winner.
The next event for the Sprint Cup Series will be held at Bristol Motor Speedway on Sunday, March 16th. The running of the Food City 500 is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET with live television coverage provided by FOX starting at 1:30 p.m. ET. Radio coverage will be broadcast by the Performance Racing Network (PRN).
