Jarrett calling it quits on his own terms, as an All-Star (cont'd)

There was a time, not long ago, when Jarrett was such a threat to win races that making them was no more than an afterthought.

Jarrett's 32 career wins rank him tied for 19th all-time with Tony Stewart. He made his first Cup start on April 29, 1984, at Martinsville, and his first win came at Michigan on Aug. 18, 1991.

Michael Waltrip recalled how he still remembers bearing witness to Jarrett's first victory

"I saw him win for the first time at Michigan, running side-by-side with Davey Allison. I never will forget that day," Waltrip said. "That day was a whole lot like the day when Dale Earnhardt won the Daytona 500. Everybody in the whole garage area was happy for Dale and the Wood Brothers (then Jarrett's car owner), to get that big win that day.

The potential savior of Michael Waltrip Racing is a 44-year-old New York native who went to college in Boston, lives in London, and has a reported net worth of $1.8 billion.

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"When your competitors like when you have success, I think it tells you a little bit about how you live your life and how you respect others, and how much you appreciate the opportunity."

Jarrett is the son of Ned Jarrett, a former driving champion himself. Waltrip, the younger brother of former champion Darrell Waltrip, talked about how that shaped Dale's drive to succeed at stock-car racing's highest level.

"We come from basically the same type of backgrounds," Waltrip said. "I watched my brother win championships and races, and he watched his father do that. So it's just part of our DNA, this garage area and this sport."

Jarrett said he plans to stay around it, dabbling in his new career as a television broadcaster, working with the younger drivers at MWR, and continuing to represent UPS at promotional events during race weekends. But he insisted that he hasn't decided anything for certain about his future in broadcasting, and that no outside factors drove his decision to retire.

"The last 21 years have been built around being at a racetrack for more than 30 weekends a year -- doing exactly what I enjoy doing," Jarrett said. "My family has paid the price and allowed me to do that, and hopefully I can give some of that back now."

Many of Jarrett's fellow competitors applauded his decision and paid him homage, including Mark Martin and Greg Biffle.

"We were competing in the Busch Series when we wished we were Cup drivers," said Martin, 48. "So we have a long history and a lot of respect for one another. ...

"I have really warm places in my heart for the guys who were here and struggled through the things that we struggled through the last 25 years -- especially the last 20 years versus the last four or five years or so. Seniors have a special bond with other people that went through and did the same things that you did. I have that with a lot of guys like Rusty [Wallace], Terry Labonte and Dale Jarrett."

Biffle added: "He's been a great competitor. I watched him win a championship. He's one of those guys that's highly respected in the garage area as a clean, aggressive driver. He knows how to win races, knows how to get it done. He's known as one of those guys like Ricky Rudd and Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin.

"All of us look at those guys the same, and feel pretty proud to have been able to run with them at one time or another."

Jarrett joined Michael Waltrip Racing last winter after driving 12 years for Robert Yates Racing. Jarrett won all but three of his career victories, and also the 1999 championship, while driving for Yates.

He signed a two-year contract with MWR, and leaves on good terms. Despite failing to make 12 races this year, Waltrip said Jarrett gave his fledging operation something that often is difficult to purchase.

"When Dale and his sponsor came over to us, I felt it gave us instant credibility," Waltrip said.

Now, Jarrett said he is ready to move on to another phase of life.

"I have gotten to make a lot of good friends along the way," Jarrett said. "I've been fortunate to do it without serious injury. I am able to walk away on my own terms, and that's a good thing."