May 19, 2005
08:27 PM EDT (00:27 GMT)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Veteran mechanic Billy Wilburn will serve as interim crew chief for Dale Jarrett's No. 88 Robert Yates Racing Ford at Lowe's Motor Speedway, as Jarrett makes his 14th consecutive appearance in the Nextel All-Star Challenge. Wilburn was a longtime Penske Racing South employee who served as Rusty Wallace's crew chief before taking a short hiatus in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series working with driver Brendan Gaughan. Jarrett has finished first in a couple of the various segments that make up the All-Star event, but he has yet to score the big prize of winning the annual battle of the best that has taken place for 20 years. Jarrett has come close by finishing second on two occasions but would like to change that this weekend. "Nobody remembers who finished second in that race except us (drivers)," Jarrett quipped about his pair of runner-up finishes in the All-Star race. "This is a Saturday night shootout and it's very exciting. It's a race where winning is all that matters and I think that's what makes it so thrilling. It's definitely the type of race that a driver would like to have on his resume of winning." The team announced earlier this week that Mike Ford has elected to step down from the role of crew chief for the UPS team. Until a permanent replacement can be found for the role of crew chief, the duties of crew chief will be filled on an interim basis, with Wilburn, who served as crew chief for Wallace during the 2003 season, in the role this weekend. "Obviously, we want to take our time in finding a permanent replacement for the role of crew chief," said Eddie D'Hondt, general manager for Robert Yates Racing. "Billy Wilburn has been nice enough to come on board in an interim role to serve as crew chief, working with the 88 team and on race strategy. "In the meantime, we'll monitor his chemistry with our team and keep our options open for a permanent replacement." Ford had been with the team since Nov. 2003. | 
