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GLADEVILLE, TENN. - For 25-year-old ML Motorsports driver Jason Jarrett to qualify fifth and finish sixth in Friday's inaugural event at Nashville Superspeedway is impressive in itself.
What happened between the qualification lap and the checkered flag makes the feat even more impressive.
After Jarrett qualified his No. 67 Pontiac fifth for the ARCA RE/MAX Series PFG Lester 150 with a speed of 149.458 mph, crew member Tony Barnes found water dripping from the engine. The crew changed engines Friday morning and started the 38-car field, 113-lap race in the back.
"We found some water coming from the engine," crew chief Scott Eldridge said. "We cracked a head. We changed the engine, and the rules say if you change an engine, you have to start in the back."
Jarrett, the son of Winston Cup star Dale Jarrett, didn't stay in the rear of the pack long, however. Passing nine cars on the first lap, the ML Motorsports entry was in 14th place by the 14th lap.
NASCAR Winston Cup driver Ken Schrader took the checkered flag, followed by 2000 ARCA champion Frank Kimmel, Shawna Robinson, Craftsman Truck Series veteran Rick Carelli and Mike Swaim Jr.
One other son of a Winston Cup driver competed in ARCA's second race of the season. Steadman Marlin, son of Sterling Marlin, started 16th and finished 13th.
An accident involving Phillip Kranefuss' Ford on lap 50 brought out the fourth of seven caution flags. Jarrett, along with the majority of the field, took the opportunity to refuel and get a fresh set of tires. The third-generation driver entered the pits in ninth place, but with the help of a strong pit stop, was in sixth when the green flag dropped again.
"We gained a huge amount of confidence with that pit stop," Jarrett said. "I almost stalled the car, but the guys did a great job and got me out there in a good position."
Said Eldridge: "That's why those guys practice three or four times a week. That's what it takes to be competitive. When you gain spots in the pits it helps the driver's morale."
Jarrett continued to challenge for a top-five finish, but with 52 of the 113 laps around the 1.33-mile track run under caution, his chances began to slip away.
"We had a fast car," Jarrett said. "We were real fast on long green flag runs."
Jarrett had worked his way up to fourth, but Kentucky driver Stuart Kirby collided head on with the wall on lap 101, bringing out the final caution of the day. Two cars passed the Mary Louise Miller-owned Pontiac before it got back to the stripe, leaving Jarrett in sixth with four laps to go when the green flag waved again.
Kimmel made the biggest move in the final four laps, passing Iowa native Robinson to take second.
Kimmel leads the ARCA points race with 475, followed by Robinson (410) and Pennsylvania driver Andy Belmont (335).
Jarrett and his ML Motorsports team wanted to build momentum going into the next two races, stops at Winchester (Ind.) on April 22 and at Salem (Ind.) on April 29. That goal was accomplished.
Jarrett entered the Nashville race 21st in the points race. He left tied for fourth with Mike Swaim Jr., just five points out of third.
Robinson, who runs a select ARCA schedule, won't race either of the upcoming Indiana tracks.
"The whole team is pumped up," Eldridge said. "When things start to go your way it can start to snowball. We wanted to gain some momentum going into the short tracks. Everyone on this team is confident we can win some races."
Jarrett and the ML Motorsports team are involved in a testing session today at Gateway International Speedway in Madison, Ill.
