It looks like the apple doesn't fall far from the tree


By J.R. MunozMcNally

HICKORY - An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

This fits Dale Jarrett like a full-face racing helmet.

The son of a racing champion Ned Jarrett, who won four national championships, was an influence on Dale, the first of several.

In his four years at Newton-Conover High, young Jarrett was a three-star athlete – baseball, basketball and football.

In his free time, especially weekends, Jarrett showed exceptional skills in golf, a one handicapper.

Becoming a scratch golfer, Jarrett faced another pressure, another career decision. Jarrett was offered a full golf scholarship to play at the University of South Carolina.

Aware of his talents on a golf course, Ned and Martha Jarrett tried to steer Dale into accepting the scholarship. That same support continued when he decided to go racing.

At about the same time, Jarrett and some longtime friends began building a race car, beefing up their knowledge of the mechanical side of racing.

A final decision to embark on a racing career might have happened one night in the 1970s. Dale’s brother, Glenn, had a rare ride in a well-built Ford. Some top drivers fell off the pace with problems in the main event feature.

Glenn Jarrett ran down the other favorites, took the lead and made it hold up for his first Late Model Stock car win at Hickory Speedway.

Dale Jarrett, helping to crew the car, discovered that special thrill of winning.

That night may have sealed the deal for Dale Jarrett and a career in racing.

After a few years of racing at Hickory Speedway in the Late Model class, he stepped up to the Busch Series when it was formed in 1982. An early win was on his hometown track.

Little time passed before Jarrett was able to get some sponsorship. His big break came when he was offered a Ford deal with Robert Yates Racing.

Although he was considered a short track expert, his first Winston Cup win was on the two-miles-plus Michigan Speedway. "After 20 years," he said, "I became an overnight success."

Having modeled his career in the fashion of his dad, Dale demonstrated patience and good sportsmanship in earning a career in the world of speed.

While Dale won the Daytona 500 three times, his first was most memorable for his dad. Ned Jarrett called the finish with such excitement that there was fear he might fall from the press box.

Those final moments of that final lap has become a magic sound bite in racing. The finish featuring a proud father is often played and replayed.

More magic happened in 1999 when Dale Jarrett won the NASCAR Winston Cup championship, the third in the family. The Jarretts, Ned and Dale, became just the second father-son team to win the coveted Cup. Richard Petty and his dad Lee are the other father-son winners.

The Jarretts and the late Bobby Isaac, who won his NASCAR Winston Cup in 1970, are believed to hold the record for driver champions from the same county.

After hanging up his helmet for the last time Saturday, Dale will remain in racing. ESPN, the sports channel, has signed him to become a part of the announcer team for the second tier Nationwide Series.

No doubt, Dale and his wife Kelley will continue supporting programs for the young and a longtime commitment to promote the Hickory Rotary Club scholarship program.

That's yet another instance of the apple not falling far from the tree.

Dale's dad has made talks before groups of all ages for years. It all started in the 1950s when Ned became recognized as the spokesman for stock car racing in the Catawba Valley and elsewhere.

Will Dale Jarrett try his hand at golf this September when the Seniors Tour rolls into Rock Barn at Conover?

Don't bet against it.