If Dale Jarrett successfully qualifies for this Sunday's Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway it will be the 668th start in a successful 24-year Cup Series career. It also will be the 1999 champion's last points race as the North Carolina native hangs up his helmet to bring down the curtain on a glittering career.
Although the 1993, 1996 and 2000
Daytona 500 winner will race one more time in May's annual All Star Challenge at the Lowe's Motor Speedway, Sunday's battle at the half-mile Bristol bullring will be the last time Jarrett races for points.
Having agreed to return to the cockpit of the #44 Michael Waltrip Racing Toyota for the first five races of the 2008 season in an effort to establish the team inside the top 35 in the Sprint Cup owner standings Jarrett goes into the fifth race of the season on the cusp of achieving his objective having successfully qualified for each of the first four races.
Almost fittingly Jarrett's final points race will be at Bristol, a place he first visited as a child in 1965 to watch his father Ned race and although a repeat of his 1997 Bristol Cup win will be unlikely Jarrett insists that he will be doing everything possible to sign off on a winning note.
“I don't know that I'll look at it as a points race,” stated the 51 year-old driver. “I'll just look at it as my last time in a race that is really going to mean a lot to the race team and myself.
“I think it's going to be emotional,” he added. “Probably as the race gets closer, it will become even more so because I am going to have a lot of family and friends around, so I think that will help add to it, on top of it just being Bristol. I know I've said that a number of times but it is a special place to race.”
After capturing a championship and 32 career wins, Jarrett says he doesn't feel he's missing much, if anything, from his resume.
