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Intelligent, well-spoken and athletic, Dale Jarrett probably could have chosen any career he wanted. The son of a two-time NASCAR champion (Ned Jarrett), he grew up with several advantages, including a knowledge of the dangers of moving a 3,500 pound machine around a race track with other vehicles of the same size at speeds 3 times greater than most of us drive on an interstate.

Coming of age in the early 70’s the Hickory, North Carolina native garnered all-conference honors at Newton- Conover High School in football, basketball and golf. The strapping man who now stands 6?2? also played baseball, and was ultimately offered a golf scholarship at the University of South Carolina. Think about it, if not for auto racing, Jarrett would have been competing with the likes of Tom Kite, Corey Pavin and maybe even Tiger Woods instead of The Intimidator and the Rainbow Warrior.

Dale Jarrett was also exposed to the world of TV broadcasting at an early age. When Dale was 8, his father retired at the age of 35 to become one of NASCAR’s early signature voices. It’s life not nearly the extreme excitement that driving is, but speaking from experience, I can tell you it is a lot of fun to watch and describe sporting events from the broadcast booth. Testament to Jarrett’s speaking skills is the fact that he will be trading in his helmet for a headset at ESPN, where we’ve already experienced his insights first hand. Like anything else, it will take Jarrett time to get his chops up, and I will tell you now, than in my opinion, the 51 year old is good and will only get better.

Jarrett has also used the platform he’s been blessed with to do good works. In 2000, he was named NASCAR’s USG Person of the Year on behalf of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for his charity work. Jarrett was also very involved in fundraising efforts for Brenner’s Children’s Hospital, and for Carly Brayton, the son of driver Scott Brayton, who was killed in accident practicing for the Indy 500 in 1996.

Oh yeah, Dale Jarrett was a pretty good driver, too. He debuted at the Cup level in 1984, seven years after he started running in the Late Sportsman division at Hickory Motor Speedway. Jarrett won his first Cup race at Michigan in August, 1991, en route to 32 career victories. From 1996 to 2001, Jarrett was one of the top drivers in NASCAR, racing for Robert Yates, whom he signed on with after piloting the #18 Interstate Batteries car for Joe Gibbs from 1992 to 1994. During that 6 season stretch at the turn of the century, Jarrett finished in the top 5 in points, including a Cup championship in 1999 and a second place finish in 1997.

The man most famous for driving the #88 at Yates also mastered NASCAR’s biggest stage. He took the checkered flag at the Daytona 500 three times- in 1993, 1996 and 2000. The most famous win was his first- his dad was calling that race on television that day- and though they couldn’t communicate, it almost seemed as if Dale was getting some kind of vibe from Ned as Dale almost seemed to respond to what his dad thought he should do.

During his illustrious career, Jarrett also raced for Cale Yarbrough, and the legendary Wood Brothers among others before helping his buddy Michael Waltrip launch a racing team in 2007. Back in the days when his hair was darker and he sported a mustache, Jarrett won 11 races in what is now called the Nationwide Series.

By the way, Ned and Dale Jarrett are one of only two father-son duos to win cup titles at the Cup level. The other? Lee and Richard Petty- some pretty fast company.

Jarrett will always be remembered for racing clean and for his bright smile. He has always been counted on as a driver who would not put a wheel on you to get a win.

There are many things Dale Jarrett could have done with his life, but he chose a road (or a track) less traveled.

For that, NASCAR fans are grateful. Thank you, Dale Jarrett. We look forward to seeing you in the booth.
May you raise the standard in the booth the way you did on the track.