I believe the next three races will determine the Winston Cup championship. That doesn't mean Jarrett will own the Cup when the checkered flag falls at Talladega, but I think we'll know if it's going to have his name on it. There are three tough tests the next three weeks for every driver, but they are three really big tests for Jarrett and his crew. Martinsville is a short track, but it's also what I consider a small track. It's good racing, but it's hard to pass simply because there is so little space.
Pit road is very tight.
Pitting at Martinsville is like trying to parallel park, in a tank, in the dark, while it's raining. Or, it could be something less exciting, like, say, your car broke. Jarrett finished 42nd in this race last year. That kind of finish this weekend could turn a distant field of pretenders into a crowded jumble of championship contenders. In the spring of this year, Jarrett finished eighth.