By Sam Ross Jr.

There was little respect for elders last year in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup series, as the 40-and-older drivers were held without a single series win in 2006.  This has prompted the question of whether guys like Mark Martin (48), Sterling Marlin (49), Ricky Rudd (50), Dale Jarrett (50) or Ken Schrader (51) can still win.

 "Absolutely," said Eddie Wood of the Wood Brothers/JTG Racing team, for whom Schrader will drive this season.  "It's like riding a bicycle or anything else.  These guys can do it at any level.  They don't forget."

Jarrett and Martin won one Cup race each in 2005, but for Schrader and Marlin, the droughts have been much longer.  Marlin has gone 167 Cup races without a victory, a stretch dating to 2002.  Schrader leads all active drivers with a 515-race drought, dating to 1991.  Rudd chose not to race last season. His last win came in 2002.

"Can the old guys get the job done? The right ones," said Rudd, who will drive for Robert Yates this season and has qualifed second for Sunday's Daytona 500.  "No question about it."  Schrader, who will share the No. 21 car with Jon Wood, finds his zest for driving undiminished either by the winless streak or his age.

" I know that I want to be there a lot more than some other people," he said.  "Yeah, it's screwed up.  I've got some issues in my head."  Turning serious, Schrader said his desire to drive is heightened, "Because you can see it's going to end."

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