Jimmie Johnson and Ryan Newman are rookies in name only.

Past the halfway point in the Winston Cup season, Johnson has two victories and is second to Sterling Marlin in the points going into Sunday’s race at Watkins Glen International.

His 13 top-10 finishes are already a rookie record for NASCAR’s modern era, breaking Tony Stewart’s mark of 12 in 1999.

Newman also is on a streak, finishing fifth in three straight races before running fourth in last Sunday’s Brickyard 400.

He has yet to win but has finished in the top 10 in eight of the last 11 races, is up to 12th in the standings and has drawn within eight points of Johnson in the rookie of the year race.

The road course at Watkins Glen, in the Finger Lakes area of New York State, is a new challenge, though. Neither of the precocious rookies has raced there.

Rebounding: Dale Jarrett and his No. 88 Robert Yates Racing team have a few things to prove this weekend at Watkins Glen.

Jarrett is coming off an embarrassing race at Indianapolis in which he lost his shot to win when he pulled away from his pits late in the Brickyard 400 with a gas catch-can stuck in his gas tank.

That’s an automatic stop-and-go penalty and Jarrett went from first to 28th and had to mount a great charge just to finish 10th.

Moreover, a year ago at the Glen, Jarrett started from the pole and led the first 17 laps before spinning off into a sand trap. The 1999 series champion never recovered and finished 31st.

Other Gordon: While Jeff Gordon has won four of the last five Cup races at Watkins Glen, Robby Gordon no relation is still looking for his first victory there.

A year ago, it appeared he might add his name to the list of champions on the historic road course until a fire started in the telemetry box the electronic gizmo attached to the car to give TV its information on the car’s performance. The fire ended his day and relegated him to 40th place.

“That was one of the most disappointing moments in my racing career,” said Gordon.