Dale Jarrett is seeking a second NASCAR title. Credit: APJarrett, McMurray
liking points system more nowSeptember 9, 2004
05:48 PM EDT (21:48 GMT)
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RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- Dale Jarrett was shocked when NASCAR announced its new
format for deciding its championship. But he wasn't too concerned since he
didn't figure to contend this season after a miserable 2003 campaign.

Now, one race and just 43 points out of the top 10 that will set the field for
the 10-race Nextel Cup championship shootout, the 1999 series champion said he's
energized and liking the new system a lot more.
Jamie McMurray has scored 14 top-10s, but a rash of DNFs has forced him to play
catch-up. Credit: AP
"We've made a huge gain in a short amount of time," Jarrett said. "To be quite
honest, I don't think this was anything that we expected, that we could try to
make ourselves into a top 10 team at this point in time.

"We figured it would take at least three quarters of the season to get ourselves
on a regular basis running in the top 10 and top five."

After ending a string of seven straight years in the top nine in the final
standings with a 26th-place finish last year, Jarrett enters Saturday night's
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 ranked 13th -- with a chance.

"I'd be crazy to say right now that I didn't like it because it may give me a
second chance at a championship," the 47-year-old driver said. "I think it's
created a lot of excitement at a point that maybe we wouldn't have had that."

When Jarrett won his title, he did it by using the old standard of consistency
to perfection, winning four times and getting 24 top-five and 29 top-10 finishes
on his way to the second-highest point total ever.

He clinched in the penultimate race of the season, a scenario that is highly
unlikely to repeat itself with the top 10 -- and anyone else within 400 points
of the lead -- getting reset, separated in five-point increments to begin the
10-race championship chase culminating Nov. 21 at Miami.

NASCAR's goal of increasing interest is working, Jarrett said.
Nextel Cup Series
• Results• Standings• Schedule• Best 25 Over Last Six Races• Best Starts•
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"The points chase is close enough at the front between at least three guys that
it would be worth talking about, but we've gotten a lot more coverage because of
this 10 places and you've got eight guys that are going for basically three
spots," he said. "That's pretty exciting stuff."

And Jarrett isn't the only driver who's starting to like the new system.

Jamie McMurray, 11th in points, 25 out of the top 10 and 54 points from being
within 400 of leader Jimmie Johnson after the race, said he's been surprised by
the stir the end of the qualifying series has created.

"It's great for our sponsors and I think it's created a lot of buzz for NASCAR,"
he said.

Even outsiders have noticed the added interest the race for the top 10 has
created and eagerly anticipate what could be a wild race Saturday.

Kyle Busch, however, is second in the NASCAR Busch Series standings, trailing
Martin Truex Jr. by 95 points with nine races remaining, so he's glad the new
points system wasn't implemented NASCAR-wide this season.

"I only have to race one guy for the championship instead of having to go back
and race 10 guys," said Busch, who is 353 points ahead of No. 3 Jason Leffler.
"It's a lot easier for us to think about one instead of 10."




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Cheyanne and Travis are getting BIGGER!!!


























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