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Friday, March 2
Jarrett rolls to the pole in Las Vegas
Associated Press
LAS VEGAS, Nev. -- It was business as usual Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway with a Robert Yates Racing car taking the pole and the Ford teams still whining about an aerodynamic disadvantage.
Dale Jarrett, driving a Taurus, led qualifying for Sunday's UAW-Daimler-Chrysler 400 with a lap of 172.106 mph, giving the Yates team its third pole in four tries on the 1-mile Vegas oval.
|  | | Dale Jarrett addresses the media after winning the Bud Pole for the UAW-Daimler-Chrysler 400. |
Jarrett won the inaugural pole here in 1998 and teammate Ricky Rudd won it last year, setting the record of 172.565.
Jack Roush Fords have won all three Winston cup races in Las Vegas, with Mark Martin taking the first event and Jeff Burton each of the last two.
Still, with all that Ford success, Jarrett said nobody should take that as a sign that the folks with the blue oval logo will
dominate on Sunday.
"This is a racetrack that demands a lot of things," the 1999 series champion said. "The straightaways are long enough to demand a lot of horsepower and Ricky and I both have that from our Robert Yates engines.
"But you have to handle, too."
That's where the question mark is, Jarrett added, noting again that the Chevrolets, Pontiacs and Dodges appear to have an aerodynamic advantage with less drag.
"I don't believe a Ford's led a lap yet this year by taking the lead, not inheriting it," he said. "When you feel you're at a disadvantage aero-wise, though, you have to work harder in other areas.
"This should be a good sign of where we actually stand because of needing a full package here."
If qualifying was any sign, Sunday's race should be the most competitive yet on the fast, slightly banked Las Vegas oval.
Johnny Benson was second to Jarrett at 172.728 in a Pontiac, followed by the Chevrolets of Jerry Nadeau and Daytona winner Michael Waltrip at 171.636 and 171,603, respectively.
Behind them, the Pontiacs of Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte, the defending series champ, sandwiched the Ford of Todd Bodine, with Sterling Marlin's Dodge eighth.
"The Fords have run good here, but right now everything's pretty equal," Benson said. "Everybody thinks the Pontiacs are pretty good on the shorter tracks and Fords have won all the races out here. But I'm pretty happy with my Pontiac."
Among the other annual contenders in Vegas, Martin was 15th, Jeff Gordon's Chevy 24th, Rudd 25th and Burton -- who won from 19th last year -- 28th.
"I'm real disappointed with that," Martin said. But, asked if he can win, he replied: "We could, but we just need things to go our way."
Rockingham winner Steve Park and Dale Earnhardt Jr., teammates of Waltrip at Dale Earnhardt Inc., qualified 21st and 32nd.
Jarrett, who earned the 11th pole of his career, said the entire series is still just getting into the healing process in the aftermath of Dale Earnhardt's death Feb. 18 in a crash in the Daytona 500.
"This is something that's going to take a long time," Jarrett said. "I can honestly say that not a day goes by, or an hour in
the day that something doesn't come up to remind me of Dale and the things he did for me in my career.
"With the fan base he helped get for us, we've got to find a way to keep them excited and interested in NASCAR racing even though we've all lost our hero."
With NASCAR going this year to one round of qualifying, the entire 43-car field was determined Friday. The top 36 drivers made it into the field on speed, with seven more getting in on provisionals based on last year's car owner points.
That left Kyle Petty, Rick Mast and rookies Andy Houston and Brendan Gaughan out of the lineup. It's the second straight week that Petty and Houston have failed to make the race.
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