Heralded rookie finds Winston Cup difficult

By MIKE HARRIS

AP Motorsports Writer

"Sprinter talk" is what Robert Yates calls the language Kenny Irwin Jr. speaks to his crew, and stock car guys just don't understand it.

Therein lies the basic problem. NASCAR's top rookie is in transition from open-wheel star to manhandler of heavier stocks on banked ovals far removed from the bullrings he knew so well.

"We're really working on communication and understanding," said Yates, whose previous prize rookie was the late Davey Allison. "We haven't responded fast enough to what he was telling us at times because his description and our understanding has not been what we'd want.

"It's like going to Japan and ordering food when you don't speak the language. But I think we're really gaining on that."

Irwin, who replaced Ernie Irvan, was a surprising selection as a teammate for championship contender Dale Jarrett.

But it looked like pure genius when the 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series rookie of the year made his Winston Cup debut last fall in Richmond, Va. There, Irwin qualified second and finished eighth.

He ran three more Winston Cup events last year, qualifying third, 11th and eighth.

Heading into 1998, Irwin was the odds-on favorite to win the rookie battle. Although he's leading the other contenders after 13 races, it hasn't been easy.

"What a lot of people don't realize is that we got to do a lot of testing for those races we ran" last year, he said. "Another thing is that is the first year I've run a stock car. My background is open-wheel.

"I felt like I knew what I was getting into, and Robert did, and so did the 28 team. The hardest thing for me is coming to a new series with a new car and a new team, and telling the guys how to set it up."

The high point of the season so far came in March in Atlanta, when only a problem with a lug nut on the final pit stop kept Irwin from becoming the first rookie to win since Allison in 1987. The low point came last month in Charlotte, N.C., when Irwin failed to make the field for the Coca-Cola 600.

"That was the bottom. You can't get lower than that," Yates said. "But it's been up from there."

The 28-year-old Irwin came back the following week in Dover, Del. - where he had neither tested nor raced - by qualifying ninth. The race itself was so-so, with a 33rd-place finish, but he followed that by qualifying 11th and finishing ninth in Richmond, then qualifying 14th and finishing 13th last Sunday at Michigan Speedway.

"It's hard to be an overnight success in this business," Yates said. "Kenny's got a lot of raw talent as far as handling the car.

"I told Kenny when we started this deal, timing is everything. He landed when we were behind in engines and behind in building cars, so it's not all his fault. ... We've caught up now, and we'll be all right."

Irwin agrees, pointing out that failing to make the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte was a watershed.

"Somebody asked me the other day if I feel more pressure now because of the Charlotte deal," he said. "Actually, I feel less pressure. There was so much pressure that weekend on me and the entire team, I don't see it can be any worse than that.

"I've been under more pressure than any other time in my life, but I honestly feel that's the reason I've enjoyed it. I've had to learn to communicate with the team, to deal with 50 other drivers and Texaco, our sponsor, and everything else that comes with racing in Winston Cup. But it's been a tremendous experience."

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