As NASCAR Winston Cup champion, it would seem logical that every driver in the garage would jump at the chance to be Dale Jarrett's teammate, in order to better their own causes.
But as the 1999 titleholder explained in Saturday's T. Wayne Robertson Winston Cup Preview, the addition of Ricky Rudd as a teammate for the 2000 season may help the champ as much as it helps Ricky.
"I'm excited about having Ricky as a teammate," Jarrett said. "Not to slight ('99 teammate) Kenny Irwin at all, but having a guy with winning experience is very beneficial. It takes a little bit of the weight off of (Jarrett crew chief) Todd's (Parrott) shoulders, because last year he had to come up with all the changes on the cars."
Rudd joins Robert Yates Racing as the driver of the No. 28 Ford after auctioning off his assets of his former No. 10 team in December. Rudd brought eight members of his former team with him to help his transition, which should benefit both cars. The 43-year-old Chesapeake, Virginia native has 20 career victories, including a string of 16 consecutive years with at least one win – a streak that was snapped last year.
"I know every team at this time of year stands up here and tells you how well they're going to do, but I really think we have a lot of potential," Rudd said. "I have a lot of respect for Dale, and I think the chemistry is good. I've known Todd Parrott since he was 10 or 11. The potential here is unbelievable."
The addition may be even more important to Jarrett's hopes for a repeat crown, since he admitted his No. 88 team is a little behind. As a result of winning the title, and wanting his entire team to enjoy what they had accomplished, Jarrett said that his team faces a stiff challenge with the start of the season just three weeks away.
"I think Todd would agree that we're just a little bit behind as far as having cars built," Jarrett said. "But we didn't get the templates for the new Ford until late, so we may not be as far behind as we think. The wind tunnel numbers we've seen have us a little more optimistic."
Just the situation he is in has Rudd more optimistic. Done dealing with the problems of running an entire team, the No. 28 pilot has had a giant weight lifted off his shoulders. "The pressure to me is gone. To me, the pressure went off when I sold the (No. 10) team," Rudd smiled. "I don't have to worry about the headaches of running the team. All I have to do is get to the plane on time."