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Sharing secrets Jarrett, Rudd say teamwork is key to their success
By Stephen Thomas, CNNSI.com LOUDON, N.H. -- If owner Robert Yates hasn't already, he might want to think about thanking his lucky stars right about now. Not simply because his two drivers, Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd, are tied with Jeff Gordon for the Winston Cup points lead and in third place, 18 points behind, respectively. No, if nothing else, Yates should count his blessings that in Jarrett and Rudd, he has a pair of drivers temperamentally suited to co-existing as equals. These two get along better than most brother combinations. That Jarrett and Rudd -- who are both 44 years old and between them have raced more than 36 full seasons -- can tolerate each other owes itself in large part to their current stations in life. Jarrett has won 27 races in his career (including three in 2001) and one Winston Cup title (1999); Rudd has won 21 races (one in 2001) and though he has never won a title, he finished second in 1991 and in the top 10 on 14 other occasions. In other words, though each yearns to win a title, neither needs to win in order to somehow validate his career.
If there's any friction between Rudd and Jarrett, they masked it well as they sat side-by-side during a news conference after practice Saturday at New Hampshire International Speedway. "I think the two teams have actually come together and are probably closer now than they have been since I've been with the team," Rudd said. "I think our strategy is pretty simple. Gordon has consistently been a better car week in and week out. Our teams have got to get better to beat him. To whip up on Jeff, it's gonna take two of us because that team is so good right now. "If anything, the two teams are working together better now than I've ever seen before." Like any dutiful younger brother (Rudd is two months older), Jarrett agrees. "I think we're working closer and accomplishing more," he says. "We've always talked, but I think now we've really got our heads together and we're able to see the results more on the racetrack." Though Jarrett and Rudd finished fourth and fifth in the standings, respectively last year, they were never as close this deep into the season as they are right now (though they were 11 points apart after four races). And while each feels that the halfway point is hardly the time to begin talking of such things, each foresees no problem should they arrive in Atlanta in late November as closely linked. "I think that [the relationship] is gonna be the same," Jarrett said. "I see no reason for it to be different. I'd say, 'Let's continue what got us to this point' and then go out the racetrack and duke it out. Let the pit crews help decide what's gonna happen. Let's not change anything that got us to that point.
"I mean, I think we've got too open a relationship to hold anything back," Jarrett continued. "I don't think we can really keep anything from each other and I don't know that I'd want to. Again, I'm gonna feel like if we get ourselves to that position, that Ricky and his team have been a big part of that and I wouldn't want to hold back at that point in time." In just their second season together, Rudd and Jarrett have clearly and quickly established something of a mutual admiration society. If that's neither necessarily remarkable nor terribly surprising given the two generous personalities involved, it is refreshing -- remember, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal needed intermediaries to get the L.A. Lakers back on track before the NBA playoffs earlier this year. Clearly, no such intervention will be necessary between these two teammates. "The reason I think it's clicking right now is, first of all, I've got a lot of admiration for this guy," Rudd said, looking toward Jarrett. "He doesn't express a lot of ego. Any time I need something, Dale is there to help. I feel the same way. I don't have the record that Dale's got, but ego-wise. ... I think sometimes that can be one of the biggest stumbling blocks -- one guy is upset because he got outrun. We don't have that. I think that's one reason that both teams are able to run as well as they do. And we're also having a lot of fun. I'm having more fun than I've had in many, many years."
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