Jason Jarrett joined several NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers for a Dodge test session at Talladega Superspeedway today, helping the #59 Harris Trucking team prepare for the series’ season opener in February. Jarrett said he is not signed on to run the Daytona race, but that he hopes the test session here will open a door for other opportunities with team owner Jim Harris. “Basically I am just trying to help them out doing some speedway testing for Daytona,” Jarrett said. “I am not sure who the official driver is going to be, but hopefully at some point I can throw my name in the hat.” Since the 28-year-old driver and his ARCA RE/MAX Series team recently parted ways, Jarrett said he has been casting his line in several directions to see what other opportunities may lay in wait for him. He’s not against staying in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and plans to attend the series’ major Daytona test session next month, but said he’d like to make the transition to trucks if presented with the option. In line with that sentiment, Jarrett called 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion and multi-truck team owner Bobby Hamilton to inquire about the status of his teams for next season, which led to his Talladega trip this week. Relatively recent news out of the Bobby Hamilton Racing (BHR) organization has Deborah Renshaw slated to drive the BHR2 #8 Dodge driven by Chase Montgomery this past season. Montgomery will drive BHR’s #18 in 2005, and Hamilton himself will again be in the #4. However, Hamilton also has an affiliation with Harris’ team through the Dodge program, and recommended Jarrett to test the #59 at Talladega along with his teams and the #62 Orleans Racing team of Steve Park. “I am really not sure what their plans are for the No. 59 next year, but we’ll probably hear something pretty soon, maybe even just after the first of the year,” Jarrett said. “I’ve talked to several teams as far as ARCA goes, and a couple of other truck teams. The thing right now is that you’ve got to be able to take a little bit of sponsorship money with you, and that’s really the thing holding me back right now. If I can get a pretty decent sponsor to help fund somebody that already has a good team, I think I can go forward in the next couple of months. Right now, I am kind of at a standstill. I’d just like to do whatever I can help somebody get funded, and want it to be funded the right way to be competitive.” Jarrett, son of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Dale Jarrett, has eight career starts at Talladega Superspeedway combined from competition in the NASCAR Busch and NEXTEL Cup Series and the ARCA RE/MAX Series, but Thursday was his first experience on the legendary 2.66-mile track in a truck. Although the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series does not compete at Talladega Superspeedway, it is a popular test site for series teams as they seek to perfect their superspeedway racing programs.(Talladega Superspeedway PR)(12-17-2004)
