He's just a great guy
The following are quotes from Tony Stewart regarding Dale Jarrett...
What is you favorite memory about Dale Jarrett's career?
"He's just a great guy -- probably seeing him win the Daytona 500 and having his dad doing the commentary live as he's coming down to win the Daytona 500 was pretty cool. I'm excited for him as a person, I'm sad as a driver to see him go -- we're going to miss having him down in the garage area every week. You have to be excited for somebody like him that's done this as long as he has and he's leaving on his own terms. He's got other things that he wants to do with his life and I think we all ought to be happy for him."
Can you talk about what Dale Jarrett has meant to the sport?
"He's been a great voice. He's kind of been a mentor in the way that (Dale) Earnhardt Sr. was -- when Dale Jarrett spoke about something -- everybody listened and took to heart what he said. He's always had that smile on his face and he's got that famous DJ smile. He was a great champion, he was a great winner and he was a great ambassador for this sport. He was one of the first guys when I won my first race at Richmond to congratulate me. He made you feel welcomed and you appreciated his friendship."
How was Dale Jarrett to race against?
"He was very fair -- he was one of those guys that would race you hard when it was time to race hard and when it was early in the race and it didn't mean much, then he knew to be patient. He raced you the way you raced him. If you learned to be patient and race him with respect he would do the same."
How is Dale Jarrett off the track?
"He's great and a lot of fun. He's got a great personality and is a big sports fan. Rather it's college basketball, pro football and obviously he's a great golfer. He's just a great athlete off the track also."
Contributed by
Mike Arning
True Speed Communication
http://www.truespeedcommunication.com/
THOUGHTS ABOUT DALE JARRETT AND A FAVORITE MEMORY
Below are some quotes from Jeff Gordon when asked about Dale's final "points" race at Bristol earlier this year.
"He has had a heck of a career and I have had a blast racing with him," said Jeff Gordon, driver of the No. 24 DuPont Chevrolet Impala SS.
"I feel fortunate to have raced him for some great wins, great battles for wins as well as for championships."
He is just one of the highest quality individuals and race car drivers that I have ever raced against. It is really odd to me when guys you have been racing with say they are retiring and are not going to be out there on the track with you any more. It definitely makes you think about where you are at in your career and those that you had racing with them.
"We have had our run-ins too. I remember one day looking up to him and we weren't real happy with one another. Dale has been a guy that I have always respected and admired for a very long time.
Hate to see him go but you know what, he has had a heck of a career so he should be very proud of that.
"Here you have a guy that comes from a racing family. With Ned Jarrett and his legacy in this sport, I think it has been able to be carried down to Dale.
To go out there and be a championship-winning driver is great. I have always respected him as a competitor, but the person that he is off the track and away from the race car to me is as good of a person as you are ever going to meet. I like the way he handles himself.
"To me, he is just one of the great guys that you will ever meet. His legacy is going to be very broad because of performance -- he has performed at a high level, he has won a championship, the Daytona 500 -- and he is just one of the greatest people you will ever meet."
Contributed by
Jon Edwards
Performance PR Plus
A Very Classy Guy
Kurt Busch on Dale Jarrett:
“It’s incredible to grow up watching the races and to be rooting for those drivers. When I was growing up there was Ken Schrader, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliot and Dale Jarrett – a guy that won the 1999 championship. A guy that I met for the first time when I won the 1999 Southwest Tour championship – they brought all the champions to Homestead and I got to shake his hand. That was one of the coolest moments – I got to meet a NASCAR champion. That was the first champion I ever met.
“My first start at Dover, he started right behind me. I just pulled out of the way as quickly as I could because those guys wanted to go a lot quicker than I did at the start of the race. To see him win the Daytona 500 a bunch of times – to win at Michigan with the Wood Brothers for his first win - there are so many Dale Jarrett classic moments – he’s a very classy guy. Somebody each and every young driver should look up to him for what he has done for the sport and behind the scenes. A pure champion that has that legacy from his father Ned –it’s a racing family - it’s tough seeing him retire lile he has. It will always be that Dale Jarrett was a champion that I looked up to and try to mock some of his actions.”
Dale Jarrett is not only a gentleman, NASCAR champion and legend, but a great person
Elliott Sadler’s comments from when he was asked about that before the Bristol race.
“Dale Jarrett is not only a gentleman, NASCAR champion and legend, but a great person in so many ways. He helped me when nobody else would give me the time of day when I first got into the Cup level. He took the time to not only talk to me, but actually took me around a track one time just to show me what I needed to look for when I got in the race car. I was just some guy who was coming out of the Late Model stage into the NASCAR level and it amazed me that he took that time when he was already a champion.
“As time went on, he became a teammate to me and continued his role as a mentor in racing and life. He showed me how to deal with sponsors, people, media and everyone else you come in contact with in this sport. NASCAR, and myself, are really going to miss Dale Jarrett being around on a weekly basis in the garage area. But, the good news is fans are going to benefit from his knowledge as he becomes an analyst with ESPN. I’m going to enjoy watching race tapes just to hear what he says about what we’re doing on the track.”
Contributed by Tim Packman
Team 19 Communications
Gillett Evernham Motorsports