Published: March 13, 2008 12:00 am            

Say goodbye to Dale Jarrett

As superstars go, Dale Jarrett is one of the more unassuming you’ll find.

Even to the point where some would question the use of the term superstar to describe him.

But wins in the Daytona 500, a series championship and 32 race victories ought to earn a guy some respect. And some of us even like those corny UPS commercials he’s shot in recent years driving for what will be his final sponsor.

But the final chapter, on the track at least, is here. Jarrett will run his final race Sunday in the Food City 500. He will return to the track for May’s All-Star race at Charlotte but this will be his last start in a regulation event.

It leaves Jarrett with a lot to think back on, including his championship in 1999, his six straight top-five series finishes from 1996-2001 and 667 career starts dating back to 1984.

“My son plays baseball and my daughter plays soccer, and I realize that I still get to play golf and compete at that, but as far as actually being a competitor, which I’ve been all my life, it’s going to be a difficult day I think, even more so now as I’ve gotten closer to it,” he said.

Jarrett won’t be leaving the sport entirely, moving full time into his gig as a broadcaster. He already has been in the booth for ESPN this season, joining a line of former drivers to make the jump to television. That list includes his father, Ned, who had a memorable call of Dale’s first Daytona 500 victory in 1993.

“It’s really fun to sit up and be able to look at the races in a totally different atmosphere and get a different perspective of really what’s happening and how these guys go about doing what they do,” Jarrett said.

Jarrett has won NASCAR’s biggest race, the Daytona 500, on three occasions. But he has great feelings for the .533-mile track at Bristol, which has produced many stirring races, and he said there’s nowhere else he’d rather make his final start.

“There is no better place than Bristol because it’s the most special motorsports venue in the world as far as I’m concerned,” he said. “I hopefully can go out on a good note on Sunday, but when I climb from the car, I’m sure it’s going to be pretty emotional.”

Right to the end, he’s thinking of the team and the rest of the season with David Reutimann taking over the wheel of the No. 44.

“The object is to come out of Bristol with that race car in the top 35 in the points,” Jarrett said. “Would it be a perfect scenario to win the race? Yeah, that would be great, but that’s asking a whole lot.”



Back-to-back drama

Perhaps it’s a good thing Easter weekend falls where it does on this year’s schedule, what with a race the week before in Bristol and the week after in Martinsville. Both tracks are noted for lots of bumping on the track and occasional extracurricular activities off it between drivers who get involved.

Maybe a weekend off with family can calm some of the hot nerves.



Notes of note

Kevin Harvick is quietly going about his business this year, standing third in the series, just 18 points behind Greg Biffle. He won at Bristol in 2005 and has four Nationwide Series wins at the track ... Both Bristol races were close last year, with Kyle Busch holding off Jeff Burton in March and Jimmie Johnson beating teammate Jeff Gordon in the fall race ... Indy 500 champion Dario Franchitti has struggled a bit this year but still leads the Nationwide Rookie of the Year standings.



Christian Potts writes for The Norman (Okla.) Transcript. Contact him at cpotts@normantranscript.com

        

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