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Joliet: Dale Jarrett preview

The Muppet Show(tm) Meets NASCAR In Chicago.   CHICAGO, Ill., July 9, 2002 --- The Chicagoland Speedway hosts its second NASCAR Winston Cup Series event when the teams of NASCAR swing into the Windy City for the 18th race of the 2002 season. While ...

The Muppet Show(tm) Meets NASCAR In Chicago.   CHICAGO, Ill., July 9, 2002 --- The Chicagoland Speedway hosts its second NASCAR Winston Cup Series event when the teams of NASCAR swing into the Windy City for the 18th race of the 2002 season. While Chicago is hosting the second of its annual events, the Tropicana 400 will mark the halfway point for the 2002 Winston Cup season. Dale Jarrett and the #88 UPS Racing Team are currently 11th in the points, 94 points outside the top 10, and look to make a surge in the points during the next 19 events. The Tropicana 400 is scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. CST with NBC providing live racing coverage.

The Muppet Show(tm) To Make NASCAR Debut

The Tropicana 400 will mark the debut of The Muppet Show(tm) in NASCAR. Dale Jarrett is one of a handful of drivers who are participating in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of The Muppet Show(tm) by running special paint schemes featuring various characters from the show. The #88 UPS Racing Ford will showcase two of the show's stars with Kermit the Frog(tm) and Miss Piggy.(tm) Both stars look forward to their big NASCAR debut.   "I have a real jump on all the other first-time drivers," Kermit(tm) said. "I don't have to worry about getting queasy during the race. I turned green years ago. Am I nervous? Do I have butterflies in my stomach? Sure, but as a frog, that's a good thing - and nutritious too. I plan to keep Dale motivated by telling him to keep checking his rearview mirror. Trust me, if he sees a pig gaining on him, he'll drive faster."   "With moi on his side, Dale will win," Miss Piggy(tm) added. "We make such a great team. He handles the driving and I take care of the backseat driving. However, moi prefers for Dale to drive the truck. And as the official Diva of NASCAR, what moi wants is what moi gets. Got it, Jarrett?"

Team UPS Looks To Improve On 2001 Chicagoland Speedway Performance

Jarrett and the #88 UPS Team enjoyed their first visit to Chicagoland Speedway with a fourth-place finish in the track's inaugural event. Additionally, the #88 team left the 1.5-mile speedway tied with Jeff Gordon for the points lead. Although leaving with the points lead may be a bit much to ask, asking for a win isn't too far off the mark.   "Chicago was pretty good to us last year," Jarrett said. "It's a fun track to race and hopefully we'll be able to make better use of the second groove with practice sessions on Friday and the Busch race on Saturday. Hopefully, Chicago is just as good to us this year as it was last year."

Chicago Is Home To UPS Driver Training School

UPS drivers are among the safest on the roads with its 85,000 drivers logging more than two billion miles a year and averaging less than one accident for every million miles driven. The company will invest $38 million in 2002 on safety training. UPS's intensive driver training school is located in South Holland, Ill., located just outside Chicago. The school teaches management driver-trainers how to train tractor-trailer drivers. New UPS tractor-trailer drivers receive 80 hours of classroom and on-the-road training before operating equipment, while UPS package car drivers receive 20 hours of classroom and on-the-road defensive driver training. They also complete three safety ride evaluations during their first 22 days on the job. All drivers receive annual training rides and follow-up training in the event of a preventable accident.

-ryr/ups-

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