Newman finds consistency, continues his ascent up Winston Cup standings

The second-year driver has jumped 11 spots over the last three weeks.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONG LOND, Pa. -- Ryan Newman doesn't always use victory as a barometer for success, so he wasn't upset when he finished fifth Sunday at Pocono Raceway.
Fresh off a victory at Dover International Speedway, the second-year driver was hoping to win for the fourth time in just 58 Winston Cup starts.
He has two victories this season to share the lead in the series with Kurt Busch.
"I'd rather be where Tony is right now," Newman said after Tony Stewart won the Pocono 500. "But I'm not discouraged."
It was Newman's third straight top-five finish as he continues his turnaround from a horrible start this season after being rookie of the year in 2002.
"It looks like we've got our consistency back now," he said. "We're finishing races now, and that's the big difference."
Newman has gained 11 spots in the Winston Cup standings over the last three weeks. He finished sixth in the points race last year.
Jarrett in flames
The best move of the race by Dale Jarrett certainly wasn't a pass. It was an exit -- from his fiery Ford.
It hit the wall in the first turn on the 54th lap, and the rear end of the car burst into flames. Jarrett escaped uninjured.
"It's always hard to get out, especially when you're trying to get out in a hurry, but everything is fine," Jarrett said.
The driver was fine, but there wasn't much left of the rear end of the Robert Yates Racing Taurus after the fuel cell ruptured.
The crash, preceded by a vibration and perhaps a cut tire, ruined Jarrett's bid for a fourth Pocono victory.
"It's unfortunate," Jarrett said. "I had a really good car, and that's just kind of the way the season has gone."
The 1999 Winston Cup champion has one victory, but is 27th in the series standings.
Schrader flips
Jarrett's crash came almost in the same spot with almost the identical result that Ken Schrader experienced 47 laps earlier.
His Dodge flipped and hit the wall before also bursting into flames. Like Jarrett, Schrader was unhurt after what he called a "massive break failure."
Schrader said the brake pedal went all the way to the floorboard as he tried to negotiate the tight turn. He said he had time to turn the car just before it flipped, enabling him to avoid a frontal impact with the wall.
"It kind of jerked around and hit backwards," Schrader said. "The back end of this thing is awful soft. NASCAR has done so much with the safety stuff that it felt like a puppy hit."
Skinner's woes
It's been a tough season for Mike Skinner, who hasn't finished on the lead lap in any of the 14 Winston Cup races.
He almost made it Sunday at Pocono Raceway, but wrecked on the final green-flag lap and wound up 34th, three laps down. He is now winless in 217 career starts.