IN SIGHT Meat and potatoes. FOCUS: DALE JARRETT Only a few weeks ago, fans and media -- including this site -- were wondering what was going wrong this year for Dale Jarrett. The former champ wasn't completely dead in the water, but his season was in danger of becoming a full-blown disaster nonetheless. Now, Jarrett has three top-10 finishes in the past six races -- including a seventh at Watkins Glen on Sunday. "We needed a good morale boost and this was a good day for us," said Jarrett. DJ could get another boost as he and his No. 88 team head to Michigan International Speedway, where he won last season. And despite struggling at MIS this past June in the Sirius 400, Jarrett says the two-mile oval is his favorite place to race. "Michigan is a track I enjoy and I've said that time and again," Jarrett said. "One of the reasons I've always enjoyed it is because it allows for a lot of competitive, close, side-by-side racing. "This is one of the places where I won't say you can necessarily run totally side-by-side through the corners, but because you might have a guy that's running the top groove and another guy that's running the bottom, the air won't necessarily affect them that much. They might be side-by-side with a lot of room in between them, but then get side-by-side down the straightaway." Kurt Busch won the MIS race in June, while Jarrett struggled and finished 32nd. But he said he's putting that race behind him and hopes to continue his recent resurgence. "We know going in this weekend that it's important to get your car in the front," Jarrett said. "It seems over the past few years -- and this year in particular -- the guy in the front has a bigger advantage than what he used to, so, yeah, that's going to be important late in the race -- getting yourself positioned to where you can be out front at the end." Jarrett crew chief Shawn Parker said the poor results in June were a result of changes made to the car that simply did not work out. "When we were at Michigan in June we tried to use notes from the race Dale won last year at Michigan," Parker said. "We made changes to the car after final practice thinking we were going in the right direction, but it actually hurt the car more than anything. The problem with last year's notes is that with the body location rule the notes are pretty much null and void." The car Jarrett drives this weekend in Michigan is completely re-designed from the one he raced there in June. The team is expecting good results, and if they get their wish, Jarrett's season of despair will continue to brighten. PIT PASS Brack attack: Returning to the Indy Racing League as a former series champion and driving with a Honda engine, Kenny Brack expected to be in the thick of the IndyCar points race. In fact, he wasn't an uncommon preseason pick for '03 series champion. And while Brack has yet to win a race this year, he did have six top-seven finishes in the season's first eight races. But back-to-back DNFs have dropped the 37-year-old Swede to 89 points back of points leader Tony Kanaan. And Brack knows he needs to turn the ship around quickly. "After two DNFs, we need a good showing at Kentucky," said Brack, who is fifth in points. "We need the points and a good result. We had a good qualifying at Gateway, and I thought we would have had a good finish, too. But, we never saw the checkered flag. Wc need to see it at Kentucky." Brack, who finished a season-best second at Japan, expects a good -- if not bumpy -- ride at Kentucky this weekend. "You just put your foot to the floor and hold on for much of the track," said the erstwhile rock star. "The team with the best handling on the bumps and in traffic will win the race. I'm very excited about Kentucky. With the newer surface, I think we could have good side-by-side racing." Every sport has one. Think John McEnroe, Jeremy Shockey or good old Charles Barkley, and now picture Jimmy Spencer. Are you Sirius? Well, yes and no. Spencer may not cause as much commotion with his outspoken tendencies as the above group. But, "Mr. Excitement" does know how to be outrageous. Heading into last weekend's road race at Watkins Glen, the 46-year-old native of Berwick, Pa., let his feelings flow regarding NASCAR teams' use of specialists for road course races. "When I think of road course drivers, I think of wine-and-cheese people," Spencer said. "But, when I think of drivers who race at Bristol and Richmond and Daytona, I think of meat and potatoes. "I've got a lot of respect for your Tony Stewarts and your Jeff Gordons and your Kevin Harvicks, because they can do it all. They can race the ovals, the road courses, the dirt tracks, the off-road courses, mud holes, gravel pits, whatever you want, and still kick everybody's butts. I like that." Spencer didn't end his rant there. He included a challenge of sorts to the eight hired guns who raced at The Glen. "I'd invite those guys to pick up their bags and come to Bristol, and we'll see what kind of men they are," he said. And it's not as if Spencer is just continuing some war of words started by the road warriors. To the contrary, those guys have nothing but respect for the Winston Cup series and its regulars. "There are a number of really great racing drivers in the Winston Cup series and that's part of the attraction in wanting to be there, to measure yourself against the best," said Ron Fellows. "You want to go and have a chance against the guys you admire and think are the best in the world." Whether or not Fellows and his fellow hired guns will get rides for the Sharpie 500 night race on Aug. 23 remains to be seen, though it's highly unlikely they'll be able to take Spencer up on his invitation. Not only is Bristol's half-mile oval fast and dangerous, but the road racers didn't even fare well at The Glen. The only one who excelled was Scott Pruett, who finished second for Chip Ganassi. The rest of the group finished 24th (P.J. Jones), 33rd (Paul Menard), 36th (Johnny Miller), 38th (Ron Fellows) and 39th (Boris Said). Spencer, who finished 23rd, doesn't typically perform well on road courses. But he praised Ultra Motorsports owner Jimmy Smith for not choosing to replace him at the two road course races on the Cup circuit. Oddly, Spencer followed his comments about real and fake men with some praise for the latter. "I drove behind Boris Said and Ron Fellows a few weeks ago during practice at Infineon, and they are extremely good. Very smooth off the corners, very consistent and very fast. "I wanted to learn something by watching where they accelerate and brake. Those guys are really good race car drivers." All of which leaves us quite baffled. Yet highly entertained. Does Spencer have a point? Well, perhaps it's true that Bristol is a meat-and-potatoes kind of track and Watkins Glen is not. But real men don't whine, Jimmy. And what's wrong with a little cheese? No hamburger is complete without it. And we'll stand by those comments. EXHAUST FUMES Plan on having gas: We've talked about it a lot, but lest you all think we're making too much of the effect fuel and therefore pit strategy is having on the Cup series, just listen to the drivers. They all know what has become obvious: Pit strategy can make you a winner, or a loser. "It's been developing over time, and now it's in the forefront," Kurt Busch said. "People who haven't won races or people that aren't in a points battle are able to do more odds-and-ends things that will advance their position. They're gambling, but we're trying to continue to hammer away and make sure we don't step out of bounds." Jarrett agreed, and said this weekend won't be any different from what fans have been seeing at all the tracks this year. "The one thing I expect to come into play more than in the past at Michigan is pit strategy," Jarrett said. "The last several races have showed how much a win is dependent on the guy or team with the best pit strategy. That's part of this sport and what makes it so competitive. "Often times the guy with the best car maybe doesn't always win but the guy with the best plan does. As good as the tires are today, you will probably see a lot of two-tire and gas only pit stops this weekend for the sake of track position." Here's to having bigger fuel cells. MAILBAG

I just read that the FIA is going to launch F2 as a replacement for the old F3000 formula. Why didn't they use CART, or has Bernie just lost all interest in working with CART? Andrew Oransky San Diego, Calif. Our sources tell us that CART is just too big and too far away to act as F1's primary feeder series. Ecclestone might still have an interest in cultivating some sort of relationship with CART, though he doesn't seem to be involved in the latest mentions of prospective buyers. And the proximity issue is key, as some believe that a North American-based series would be out of reach for many aspiring Formula One drivers in Europe. There's also an affordability issue, with F1 folk wanting an F2 series to be more accessible to start-up drivers and teams. CART did spend much of its savings keeping teams on track this year, but the idea is that F2 would be a cheaper option than CART, which still fancies itself as a destination for most drivers, save for the elite (think Cristiano da Matta) passing through the series. Got your own questions about what's happening in the pits? Ask away, and we'll answer a question or two in the next Gas&Go. Name: E-mail address: City, state: Your comment: OVERHEARD Helio Castroneves On winning at Gateway despite losing all in-car electronics. "I think it's like flying a plane in a storm without instruments. I don't know how to fly a plane, but I do know how to drive a car." Robby Gordon Comments made before he won at The Glen on Sunday. "Honestly, ever since 2000, we've been the car to beat here and we haven't won the race. We'd like to come back and capitalize on that." Ryan Hunter-Reay On finishing a season-best third at Mid-Ohio. "Today was a learning process for me. Running near the front, I haven't experienced intensity like that. It's a much different pace than I was used to."

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