1999 Cup Series Champion and triple
Daytona 500 winner Dale Jarrett will retire from the cockpit after the first five races of the 2008 season, returning only for next May's All Star race.
Jarrett made the announcement at the Lowe's Motor Speedway on Thursday, bringing the curtain down on a Cup Series career that began in 1984 and has included 32 race wins to date.
Since leaving his long-time employer Robert Yates at the end of 2006 Jarrett has endured a terrible season with Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007, failing to qualify for eleven races, including this Saturday's Bank of America 500. With seven retirements further blighting his record a 22nd place finish in the season opening Daytona 500 has been the best Jarrett has been able to muster so far this year.
Despite those failings Jarrett has committed to return to the #44 UPS Toyota for the first five races of the 2008 season where he will try and push the #44 team into the top 35 in Owner points and thus, leave them with at least a fighting chance of establishing themselves among NASCAR's elite.
Jarrett made his Cup Series debut at Martinsville in 1984 but it wasn't until the 1987 season when the North Carolina native graduated to the Winston Cup championship full time. The first of 32 wins so far came at Michigan in 1991 whilst driving for the Wood Brothers but it was in his 12 year spell with Robert Yates where he enjoyed his best moments.
Daytona 500 wins in 1993 (driving for Joe Gibbs), 1996 and 2000 sandwiched the 1999 Winston Cup title with Jarrett never finishing lower than fifth in the end of year standings between 1996 and 2001.
However Jarrett's most recent win came at Talladega in October 2005 and his most recent top ten came at Kansas in 2006 and Thursday's announcement now gives Jarrett a maximum of nine more starts to try and claim his 33rd career win.
