Title alone no indicator of Jarrett's impact in sport

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- They stood in a circle, about 20 of them, in the driver motor coach lot at Daytona International Speedway hours after the track's annual July race had come to an end. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was celebrating with friends after an emotional victory at the place where his father had been killed only five months before. Almost certainly clutching a Budweiser, the then-26-year-old driver turned to his right and suddenly saw a familiar but unexpected face.

Dale Jarrett's daughter had a basketball game on the coast of North Carolina the next day, so he had decided to spend the night in Daytona Beach. He had long been a friend to the elder Earnhardt, and become something of a mentor to the younger Earnhardt in the wake of the Intimidator's death. It was maybe 2 in the morning when Jarrett wandered over to the impromptu party, wanting to help Earnhardt Jr. celebrate the most significant victory of his young career.

Tribute to Dale

Dale Jarrett will make his 668th and final start on Sunday at Bristol. Go inside the numbers.

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"I asked him what he was still doing there, why aren't you on your way home," Earnhardt remembered. "He said, 'I wouldn't miss this. That was the coolest thing I have ever seen you do.' That was just, I don't know, it showed me a lot about his character right there. At that time in my life, it meant a lot to me for somebody to care and want to experience that with you. Obviously there was a void there for me, and it meant a lot to me that he understood that. That was just a great moment for me."

And it summed up the feelings many on the Sprint Cup circuit have toward Jarrett, the 1999 series champion, who will run his final points race Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway. After that he'll have one start remaining, the all-star exhibition at Lowe's Motor Speedway on May 17, before the close of a career much greater than its single championship might indicate. During a six-year period from 1996-2001, few were better. His biggest moments came in the sport's biggest events, at hallowed places like Daytona and Indianapolis. He bridged the generations of Richard Petty and Kasey Kahne. And his class and style earned him friends and admirers in both the garage and the grandstand alike.

"This week has been a lot more different than what I've thought all season," said Jarrett, who will start 37th in the Food City 500. "I've always been able to say, 'I've got a few more weeks,' or, 'I've got a couple of months before that comes.' It was easy to say at that time, but we're here. This is it this week. I've found myself thinking about a lot of the things that have happened over the last 20 years. It's been fun thinking about it, but kind of difficult to see now that it's coming to an end. It's been great. I've had a wonderful time."

But it wasn't always easy. Jarrett remembered the early days when he fielded his own Busch car, employing two other people and paying himself $115 a week. He worked 18-hour days, drove the trailer, built the cars, drummed up sponsorship. One of his earliest backers was Pet Dairy of Johnson City, just down the road from the big racetrack where Jarrett's career will effectively conclude on Sunday afternoon. (Continued)