Dale Jarrett is trying to win a race for the 10th straight season. Credit: Autostock

Red-hot Rudd, Jarrett cool off for qualifying

Dale Jarrett and Ricky Rudd, presently two of the hottest drivers on the Nextel Cup tour, saw recent momentum lose a bit of steam during Bud Pole Qualifying for the UAW-GM Quality 500 Thursday.

Jarrett has posted three consecutive top 10s, including a pair of top fives, but struggled to the 43rd fastest time during qualifying at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

Rudd, who nearly won the Banquet 400 last weekend at Kansas Speedway, fared just one position better.

"I was just telling Fatback (crew chief McSwain), I don't know where the speed went," Rudd said.

Ricky Rudd Credit: Autostock

Rudd ran a 29.447 second lap in Thursday's pre-qualifying practice session, good enough for 18th overall, but lost more than three-tenths of a second in qualifying.

Jarrett, meanwhile, struggled all day with a tight-handling car.

He ranked 40th in practice with a 29.877 second circuit and actually picked up in qualifying, but still required a provisional starting position.

"We're a little upset," Rudd said. "We had run a .40 in practice. The car just stuck in the corner, but it didn't feel like we went anywhere, so I don't know. I'm kind of baffled, really."

Jamie McMurray felt similarly after qualifying 24th. Like Jarrett and Rudd, McMurray is another driver riding a wave of positive momentum.

He has collected seven top 10s in the past eight races, which under the old point system would rank him eighth in the standings. As it stands, he's 11th, the first driver on the outside looking in.

"I'm pretty disappointed," McMurray said. "I thought we'd run better than that, pick up more than we did."