History

Dale Jarrett

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A native of Hickory, N.C., Dale Jarrett's talents aren't just limited to the racetrack. He was all-conference in football, basketball and golf at Newton-Conover High School. He was once offered a full golf scholarship to the University of South Carolina.

He began racing in 1977 in the Limited Sportsman Division at Hickory Motor Speedway, where his father, two-time NASCAR Grand National champion Ned Jarrett, was once the track promoter.

He started his NASCAR Cup career in 1984 while still competing on the Busch Series, in which he began competing in 1982, the series' first year. His first Cup win came in his 129th start at the 1991 Champion 400 at Michigan International Speedway. He piloted a Wood Brothers car following a fender-banging duel to the finish line with the late Davey Allison.

The win that truly launched the current phase of his career came in 1993 with Joe Gibbs Racing, in the Daytona 500 -- his first of three scores in that race. That season he would finish fourth overall in series points. He stumbled a bit the following two years, finishing out of the top-10 in both 1994 and 1995, but from 1996 to 2001 only Jarrett finished in the top-five in points every year, including capturing the Cup title in 1999. He has established himself as one of the true elite in the sport.

Jarrett's 2002 season would be considered a success by many, but considering his history, he would likely consider it a disappointment. Jarrett dropped to ninth in the season standings, his worst performance since 1995. For the second straight year in his 18-year career, was hurt by sub-par finishes, with seven of 30th or worse and two of 40th or worse.

Jarrett did win twice in 2002, including a dramatic come-from-behind victory at Michigan in August where he overcame a spin off Turn 4 just 11 laps into the race to score his 30th career victory.

In 2003, Jarrett finished 26th in series points and broke a seven-year streak of finishing in the NASCAR Top 10.

The next season he was joined by veteran crew chief Mike Ford and started the year by winning the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona for the third time in his career. He finished 15th in series points and scored his best finish (2nd) in the in Brickyard 400.

After being locked out of Victory Lane for nearly three years, he was reunited with crew chief Todd Parrott late in 2005 and the two went on to win the fall race at Talladega.

In 2006, Richard "Slugger" Labbe will be the crew chief for the No. 88 UPS Racing Ford.

Jarrett earned 2000 "True Value Man of the Year" honors for his charity work, including his position as national spokesperson, with wife Kelley, for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. It was the second time he has been cited with the award.