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Near-perfect record Jarrett's 500-winning car had three wins in last five races
Posted: Tuesday February 22, 2000 07:18 PM
NEW YORK (AP) -- Dale Jarrett will not be able to get into his beloved Ford Taurus for another year. It will be parked outside Daytona International Speedway until the 2001 Daytona 500 so tourists can gawk at it and marvel at how it won three major races for Jarrett. "It's right there in the entry blank, that the winning car has to be left for a year to be on display," Jarrett said Tuesday. "It's pretty good swap, though." In addition to the $2 million Jarrett won with his third Daytona 500 victory on Sunday, the team also gets $100,000 for giving up the car for a year. That car has taken on celebrity status. It's the same car that won at Talladega in the fall of 1998, won at Daytona last July and finished second in both Talladega races in 1999. And it's not as though Jarrett will miss No. 88 that much. That particular car was built to be driven only at Daytona and Talladega International Speedway. Jarrett was in New York for a news conference and a couple of appearances on morning TV. There was also the obligatory conversation with a taxi driver about which is tougher, driving in a NASCAR race or in New York traffic. "Hey, you're getting popular in the Big Apple, the cabbie recognized you," Jarrett was told. "Yeah, but I think wearing the Daytona 500 jacket helped," he said. The jacket was autographed and presented to the Official All-Star Cafe. It will be displayed with a Wayne Gretzky jersey and hockey stick, Shaquille O'Neal's Olympic team jersey, a Buffalo Bills jersey worn by Jim Kelly, a Monica Seles tennis outfit and other memorabilia. Auto racing is usually not a major topic on New York subways or in skyscraper elevators. But at least one man who calls himself a stock car fan, John Rivera of North Bergen, N.J., had a strong opinion about Sunday's race. "Boring," he said. "One of the most boring races I have ever seen." It was not the first time Jarrett heard that criticism. "Yes, it does bother me," he said. "We have to please the fans. But we have set such high standards and such great excitement in previous races, running three or four across the track, anything less is boring." Jarrett conceded that aerodynamic changes reduced the space for drafting behind cars, cutting the number of lead changes. However, he wasn't willing to concede his victory was sleep inducing. "How about that pass with four laps to go?" he asked. That's when Jarrett shot past Johnny Benson and took the lead that carried him to victory.
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