Title alone no indicator of Jarrett's impact in sport (cont'd)

"I remember coming over to their place and spending a day talking to the employees, signing autographs and taking pictures," said Jarrett, who has one career victory at Bristol. "It was things like that that made the difference in whether I was going to be a race driver or not, just having that opportunity. It's kind of amazing how things have come around. As I raced here over the years I really thought this would be a place where I could win a lot of times because I really enjoyed racing here. One time in the Cup Series was all that I got to this point, but that was a very memorable night. If you stay around here long enough, like I've been, I guess things really do come full circle."

He was past 30 when he finally landed his big break, a full-time Cup ride in a car owned by Eric Freedlander in 1987. That led to a ride with Cale Yarborough, which led to a shot with the Wood Brothers after Neil Bonnett was injured at Darlington, which led to his first victory at Michigan in 1991. He moved to Joe Gibbs' startup organization in 1992, and a year later the ascent began in earnest. He won the first of what would be three Daytona 500s, the cornerstone of a career that also includes two Brickyard 400 titles and 32 total victories, which ties him with Tony Stewart for 20th all time.

His struggles of the last two years with Michael Waltrip Racing can't obscure a phenomenal six-year run with Robert Yates Racing that saw Jarrett claim 24 victories and never place lower than fourth in championship points. During that span, only Jeff Gordon was better.

"I think Dale is one of the underappreciated drivers in this sport, honestly," said Jeff Burton. "If you look at the number of wins he had, [the] championship, poles, all those kinds of things. When somebody says, 'Who are the best 20 drivers,' you never hear his name and I don't think that's fair."

But to those who know him, Jarrett is about much more than his achievements behind the wheel. While he could be aggressive on the racetrack -- as Ryan Newman will attest, he often wasn't shy about mixing it up -- few drivers in the garage area are as universally respected.

"I told him after the Daytona 500 this year that no matter what happens in my career, I can always say that Dale Jarrett pushed me to a 14th-place finish in the Daytona 500," Kevin Harvick said, laughing. "I told him that after the race this year. That is kind of neat, just being able to race with Dale Jarrett, Mark Martin, a lot of those guys is neat because I like the history of the sport. Those guys are a huge part of the history of our sport and deserve all the recognition for helping us get the sport to where it is today. It is important that the fans don't forget that. I don't think you can celebrate enough something like Dale Jarrett's last race for as much as he has meant to this sport."

Added Gordon: "I have always respected him as a competitor, but the person that he is off the track and away from the racecar 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."

Now 51, Jarrett's driving days may be just about over, but not his time in NASCAR. He's moving into a television broadcast position with ESPN, and said if that hadn't been available, he would have looked into partial car ownership. It's not easy to just walk away from a sport that's been a family business, with Dale following in the footsteps of his champion father. Ned Jarrett will be the honorary starter for Sunday's event, and the track has other activities planned to honor the outgoing driver of the No. 44 car, which is turned over to teammate David Reutimann at Martinsville in two weeks.

"I think it is going to be kind of strange not having Dale Jarrett in a race," Harvick said. "He is going to be great for us and the sport in the TV booth. He has meant a lot to our sport as a competitor. I think it is important that those guys are remembered and don't ever disappear."