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.

"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."