As he sat overlooking North Carolina Speedway last February, Dale Jarrett had no reason to think he was experiencing the calm before the storm. Having won in just his second start with new crew chief Brad Parrott, Jarrett couldn't know then he had just scored his last top-five finish of the season.

Thirty-four weeks later, though, Jarrett put the worst season of his career to bed and has learned not to take anything for granted.

"I thought it was going to be the beginning of a lot of success for the year," Jarrett said. "But you never know what's going to happen -- or what's not going to happen. ... We found a lot more that didn't work than what did this season."

At one point, after a stretch of finishes outside the top 35, Jarrett's frustration mounted and he lashed out at a competitive disadvantage he believed he and other Ford drivers faced.

"The biggest thing is, Fords out there, it's like taking a knife to a gunfight right now," Jarrett said. "We've got no chance. And, you've got to be perfect just to run decent."

But Jarrett isn't going to dwell on the dismal 2003 campaign any longer. It's over and he's moved on -- in big ways, too. Robert Yates Racing and Ford have several changes in store for 2004, and the 88 team is feeling pretty pumped about it.

	Dale Jarrett's season spun wildly out of control in '03. But don't expect a repeat next year.

Mike Ford, who orchestrated Bill Elliott's top-10 season this year, and Barry Swift -- both part of Jarrett's 1999 Winston Cup championship -- are coming back to Yates. Ford will take over as Jarrett's crew chief.

"This is just the beginning of the changes we will be making over the course of the next month," owner Robert Yates said. "We obviously slipped in 2003 from where everyone expects us to perform, and that is everyone from our sponsors, to the media and most importantly ourselves. We know that championship-caliber teams require the talent of experienced people, and securing the right people is the first step in getting ourselves back to the level that everyone expects us to perform.

"Mike Ford and Barry Swift were with us when we won the championship in 1999, and really have proven their talent and capabilities while they have been away. It means a lot to have them back. For us, the 2004 season starts today with the addition of Mike and Barry moving forward. This is going to be an aggressive multi-step process which Eddie and our staff are in the midst of formulating, and this is just the first step."

Meanwhile, NASCAR approved a new cylinder head for the Taurus. Doug Yates said the new cylinder head, the first for Ford since 1992, will allow the Ford teams to start catching up to the Chevys and Dodges.

"The times are changing with technology, and there are more good engine guys throughout the garage, so it was time for us to get something new," Yates said.

"Basically what we asked for and what we got was the same real estate as the Chevrolet and Dodge and, hopefully, Toyota. Now it's just up to us to go back this winter and burn the midnight oil to try and make something out of it. The thing that we really need along with that is they gave us a head, so now we've got to go back and make a manifold to work with that cylinder head. Obviously, the same manifolds we have now don't work with that head, so we've got our work cut out for us."

Jarrett believes that the changes have the 88 team pointed in the right direction, and -- with Yates signing him to a contract extention through 2006 -- he believes he's the right guy to push the gas.

"The biggest thing for everybody to understand is even though things have been difficult this year we weren't about to give up on this team and our goals," Jarrett said. "It's gratifying for me to know that Robert and Doug Yates and UPS want to continue this and believe in this to continue. I'm looking forward to seeing this team back where it belongs and that's winning races and contending for championships."

Rupen Fofaria is a freelance writer living in Chicago and a regular contributor to ESPN.com. He can be reached at rfofaria@espnspecial.com.