BMS provides quiet ending for Jarrett's final Cup race

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- His fellow competitors gave him a standing ovation in the driver's meeting, spectators saluted with a goodbye message, and his father waved the green flag. Dale Jarrett's final Sprint Cup points race began with the kind of fanfare that Bristol Motor Speedway is known for.

But it ended quietly and unceremoniously, with a 37th-place result. The former series champion started in the same place, was lapped by leader Clint Bowyer just 46 circuits into Sunday's Food City 500, and then slipped out of Bristol without much of a fuss.

More than a champ

Dale Jarrett is a former Cup champion and three time winner of the Daytona 500, but there is so much more to the man than just numbers.

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"Well, it wasn't the finish I would have liked," he said. "I'm able to go out with the best sponsor in the business in UPS, and I would have liked to have had a better day for them. But you really can't be too upset when you take into consideration the kind of career I have been fortunate to have."

That career, while somewhat eclipsed today by the more recent struggles that Jarrett endured with Michael Waltrip Racing, surely stands on its own. One title, two wins at Indianapolis, three Daytona 500 crowns and 32 total Cup victories are nothing to dismiss. His peak came between 1996 and 2001, when he won 24 times for Robert Yates Racing and never placed lower than fourth in championship points.

Sunday, the 51-year-old -- who has one exhibition start remaining, in the all-star race May 17 -- was honored in the driver's meeting preceding the event. During pre-race ceremonies, 33,000 fans flipped over cards that spelled out an outgoing thank-you message. The speedway presented him with gifts including a replica Revolutionary War rifle, 668 golf balls (one for each of his career starts), a putter and a Bristol Club diamond ring. Ned Jarrett, Dale's father and a former champion driver himself, waved the green flag to start the event.

Jarrett now embarks on a career as a television analyst for ESPN.

"I'm excited for him as a person, I'm sad as a driver to see him go," Tony Stewart said. "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 for that."