Thanks Dale! Part I

Well DJ fans, your driver isn’t quite walking away from the sport as a driver yet.  DJ will return one more time for the All Star Race.  However, his points racing career is officially over and it ended in about the most unspectacular fashion possible, finishing 37th and ten laps off the pace. Clearly, the Dale Jarrett that racing fans grew to love (or hate) in the last five years was not the same DJ that fans of the 90s were accustomed to seeing reach Victory Lane and Top 10 in points frequently, almost to the point that one of the top 10 points spots the “guaranteed DJ Seed.”

Fans who started to watch NASCAR from 2001 on will probably remember Jarrett as the grey haired ambassador of the sport who was the voice of the veterans and also the perennial spokesperson who was reluctant to drive The Big Brown UPS Truck. Sadly after 2002, his ads became more memorable than his on track performance, with only victory after relatively successful seasons in ‘01 and ‘02. His final points paying win coming in 2005 at Talladega in a race that was marred by two Big Ones. They may have seem championship quality flashes from DJ but he became nothing more than a subpar top 15, 20 and eventually, relegated to the field filler driver status.

But that wasn’t always the case for Classy Dale. Unlike many of his younger contemporaries who either gain rides through their congeniality or perhaps their raw talent, Jarrett (who then sported the Jeff Foxworthy look of a mustache and eventually a mullet) raced in many short bullrings in the Southeast, particuarly in North Carolina, just to make a living and perhaps live out the NASCAR dream. Just possibly, someone would take a chance on him. He raced in the most underfinanced cars that would make even a star veteran driver cringe, having to realize that the best of their equipment was about 8th-20th place. He perservered through the 80s, and when he saw that maybe his Cup career aspirations weren’t the greatest, he raced part time in the then NASCAR Busch Grand National Series. His #32 car owned by Horace Isenhower became one of the more perennial front running cars which won quite a few times.

After several years in the Cup side driving jelopies of cars, his big break would come when the Wood Brothers needed a driver to fill in for the injured Neil Bonnett. No, he didn’t drive and make the #21 Citgo Ford T-Bird a guarantee top 10 runner/finisher, but he raced a car that wasn’t exactly Grade B quality and put in an A+ effort. Fans would see that the second generation driver had surely earned his racing stripes amongst fans and competitors for his grit and determination.

That’s probably why his first career win in 1991 just by a narrow margin over fan favorite Davey Allison was a very popular victory. It was a jubilant moment for the then 34 year old driver who shared his debut win with his father, Gentlemen Ned, who was there covering the race for ESPN (that was REAL coverage then!) with Bob Jenkins and Benny Parsons. It was a touching moment for father and son – Ned, often a very unbiased and very keen observer with his stop clock watch abilities and his very informative observations during the race, broke away from being an impartial journalist and became a proud daddy during Dale’s first few wins in which he was there.

Most notably in ‘93 during the Daytona 500 by STP, calling on air the moves that his son needed to do to beat the Intimidator. He’d do it again in ‘96, showing the family side to NASCAR (and maybe irking a few fans and journalists about the whole impartiality deal). DJ had risen to the occasion and became a household name on his own, no longer just known as “Ned’s son.” Those moments would become one of the more popular occasions in recent NASCAR history.

Part II will look at DJ’s career from ‘92-on, as we’ll examine his move from the Wood Brothers operation to the then new Joe Gibbs Racing team that would build its foundation from Hendrick bought equipment cars to a serious contender on the Cup ranks.  We’ll also look at the circumstances that led DJ to his longest tenure team in Robert Yates Racing and close it out with his final years driving for the Michael Waltrip Racing outfit. Feel free to share your memories of Dale Jarrett! If there was a favorite racing moment you had of DJ or perhaps a meeting with DJ during an autograph session, tell us here at Checkers or Wreckers!

Editor’s Note: Lastly, and very rarely will I step outside my NASCAR writing self and into my personal self, but I have to say it’s been one of the more tumultous weeks as a person. I’m doing fine but I recently found out that one of my best friends passed away after her valiant and courageous battle with breast cancer. Kaylin Smith Coulter was one in a million and one of the most enthusiatic NASCAR fans and friends I knew. Keeping tabs of races and even talking about NASCAR has been a healing process for me to realize she’s not here, but that her spirit will live on. I extend my condolences to her family, including her husband Keegan, her son Parker, and to her relatives and friends all around the world. My life will never be the same, but as I truly believe, we’ve all gained an angel in Kaylin. God bless and speed to you all, and I miss you a lot, dear friend.