NASCAR's Dale Jarrett - From Boy to Superstar

Dale Arnold Jarrett was born on November 26 inby the famed Gibbs football coach. The next year,
1956 in Newton, North Carolina. His father is the sonJarrett won the Daytona 500 and swung Dale
of the NASCAR legend and two time champion, NedEarnhardt out of the race. The race was
Jarrett and is the father of former Busch Seriesremembered as the Dale and Dale Show, a phrase
racer Jason Jarrett. Although Jarrett was alwayscoined by Jarrett's own father. He had a total of 13
interested in racing cars, he is also a natural borntop-fives and fourth in final points that season.
athlete with an excellent background in playingJarrett joined the Robert Yates Racing team in 1995
football, basketball, baseball and golf while in highto replace the injured Ernie Irvan and through that
school. He was one of the talented few that wasmerger, Jarrett won at Pocono with a 13th finish.
offered a golf scholarship at the University of SouthEven though Ernie Irvan came back to drive for
Carolina but because he knew his heart was in theRobert Yates a year later, Yates decided to create a
driver's seat of a car, he declined.team for Jarrett in 1996. He won the Daytona 500
Jarrett started his racing career on the local shortagain that season with a top 2 finish in the first three
tracks like the Hickory Motor Speedway which was araces that season as well. He went on to win the
race track that his father owned and operated andCoca-Cola 600 and the Brickyard 400 with a third
was driving late model series events beforeplace finish in final standings. Although he did win
eventually moving onto the Busch Series.seven races the next season, he lost the
It was 1982 when Jarrett began to race the Buschchampionship to Jeff Gordon.
Series and his best finish was a third place in HickoryOnce 1998 rolled around, Jarrett was faced with a
with the sixth spot in points as his final standing. Thegallbladder problem but he did manage to win three
next season he won four poles, 17 top-fives and theraces with a second finish during the last two races
fifth place in standings. In 1984 Jarrett managed toof the season. He went for surgery during the
pull the fourth place in final standings which was hisoff-season and came back the next season winning
career's best. He won six more poles in 1986 and hishis fist Winston Cup title by an impressive 201 points.
first Busch race at Orange County Speedway. ThatDuring the turn of the century, Jarrett won the
wasn't all he did as he went on to win his secondDaytona 500 for the third time. In 2003, Jarrett
career race at Hickory in 1987.brought home the North Carolina Speedway and
During that same season, Jarrett had two tenth-placewent back with 26th in final points. He bounced back
finishes, 26th spot in points and was runner up forin 2004 with a 15th spot in points and won again in
the Rookie of the Year title. Although he was driving2005 at Talladega Superspeedway.
for different teams in 1988, he participated in all ofJarrett finished up 2006 with a fourth spot finish at
them with an eighth spot place finish at RiversideKansas and 23rd spot in points. The next year
International Raceway. In 1989, he ran again full timestarted the 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup with an 18th
with five top-ten finishes and two fifth spot spots.place finish and qualified for the Daytona 500 but
His big break came in 1990 when he replaced theended the race at the 22nd place.
injured Neil Bonnett and the next year, he won hisThis father of 4 is looking forward to starts in 2008
first Winston Cup race at Michigan Internationaland although he's only participating in the Busch Series
Speedway. He ended that season with the 17th spotpart-time, you can rest assured that he'll make you
in final standings. The next year, Jarrett joined thetake notice of his presence.
newly formed Joe Gibbs Racing which was started