Jarrett

CONCORD, N.C. -- Dale Jarrett, rumored as one of the many Winston Cup drivers on the move, angrily addressed the rumors Saturday by firmly denying he was leaving Robert Yates Racing.

''I've read where I'm going somewhere else and I'm going to drive for someone else and nobody in this garage area has come and asked me if I'm going somewhere else, so I'm (mad) about it,'' he said. ''I am not going anywhere. I'm the driver of the 88 car until Robert Yates decides I'm too old to do this, I guess.''

Jarrett, who starts 38th in Sunday's Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, admitted that car owner Andy Petree approached him about a deal he's working on, reportedly with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

Jarrett and Tony Stewart have consistently been mentioned as drivers Petree and Jones covet, but Jarrett said he was not interested in leaving Yates.

''Andy Petree came and asked me what my deal was and I told him what my deal was,'' Jarrett said. ''A lot of times there's not a lot of loyalty in this garage area ... I can assure you that I am very, very loyal to Robert and Doug Yates and this entire race team.''

Jarrett's agreement with Yates is through 2004 and he said he hoped to add another two years to the contract when Yates extends its agreement with sponsor UPS.

This season has been marked by an early wave of speculation about driver changes.

Elliott Sadler is trying desperately to get out of his contract with the Wood Brothers -- he's even offered to forfeit his share of race winnings for the rest of the season -- so he can move on to another team.

Sadler has been linked to Yates as well as Dale Earnhardt Inc.

DEI has three cars, but only Dale Earnhardt Jr. is secure there and the contracts of Michael Waltrip and Steve Park expire at the end of the season.

There's also a vacancy at Hendrick Motorsports, where Jerry Nadeau was released from his contract earlier this month.

Jarrett said all the speculation is a sign of how big the sport has gotten.

''The sport has become more high-profile than its ever been before,'' Jarrett said. ''Sponsors are looking for things to happen. Owners and drivers and crews are looking for these things to happen -- to win and to run up front on a consistent basis.

''When that's not happening, then people start looking in other directions.''

Meanwhile
Rumors weren't the only thing on Jarrett's mind -- his father, Ned, had a mild health scare when he experienced shortness of breath earlier this week.

Ned Jarrett, a two-time Winston Cup champion, was admitted to a hospital in Newton Thursday for a catherterization and angioplasty on an artery that was 95 percent blocked.

He was released from the hospital on Friday and Dale Jarrett spent time with him at his home.

''I went and saw him last night at home and he's doing well,'' Dale Jarrett said. ''As a matter of fact, if they weren't having a member-guest golf tournament, he was going to play golf today, so he's doing well.''

One engine
Since the Coca-Cola 600 is the longest race of the season, no one is sure how NASCAR's one-engine rule will effect the race.

Under the rule, teams must use just one engine over an entire race weekend. If they change their motor for any reason before the race, they must forfeit their qualifying spot and go to the back of the field at the start of the race.

Jeremy Mayfield, Kurt Busch and Mike Skinner all changed their engines before Saturday's final practice session and will go to the back of the field.

The rest of the competitors are taking their chances with their engines, which must lap an extra 100 miles on Sunday night.

Tom Ghent, Roush Racing's head engine builder, said the extra laps didn't change the way teams prepared for the race.

''The basic assembly of the engine did not change,'' Ghent said. ''We stuck with what we've been running. At California, we had run upwards of 700 miles on the engine (race and practice sessions). The engines came back through an inspection process and we are comfortable with the wear that the test showed.''