The 2002 Winston Cup Champion!!!!
Born into a family rich in racing history, Dale Jarrett continues to carry on the "family tradition". The
son of famed driver, Ned Jarrett, Dale has literally been raised around the sport that he now
dominates on a regular basis. He began his racing career in 1977 in the Sportsman division of
Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. His first win came in 1991, in his 129th start, during the
Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway. ( I think that had to be the best last lap side by side racing I've seen.) But the win that basically "launched"
his career was in team owner Joe Gibb's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, at the 1993 Daytona
500! This allowed Dale to emerge from his father's shadow, and set forth on his own quest to be a
Champion.
In 1995, after Ernie Irvan's near fatal crash at Michigan, Dale was asked to join the Robert Yates
racing organization, to fill in for the injured Irvan. It was during this "fill in" time that Jarrett had his first victory with the Yates team at Pocono, winning the Miller Genuine Draft 500. This seemed like an unlikely paring at first, but has
proven to be an excellent combination. In his first outing with his own Yates car, he won the Daytona 500. Jarrett
brought the Ford Quality Care Thunderbird to Victory Lane giving him his second win at the "World
Center for Auto Racing". Even with some changes in crew members and uncertainty as to the whole
Yates' organization, Jarrett has never seemed to falter. Known in the past as a "hot head, with a bad
temper", he has emerged as an extremely patient, calculated driver. It wasn't the easiest rap to beat
with instances such as throwing his helmet at Bobby Hillin during a caution for an "altercation", but Jarrett has emerged victorious!
Thank you Christi!
The 2002 Winston Cup Champion!!!!
Born into a family rich in racing history, Dale Jarrett continues to carry on the "family tradition". The
son of famed driver, Ned Jarrett, Dale has literally been raised around the sport that he now
dominates on a regular basis. He began his racing career in 1977 in the Sportsman division of
Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. His first win came in 1991, in his 129th start, during the
Champion Spark Plug 400 at Michigan International Speedway. ( I think that had to be the best last lap side by side racing I've seen.) But the win that basically "launched"
his career was in team owner Joe Gibb's Interstate Batteries Chevrolet, at the 1993 Daytona
500! This allowed Dale to emerge from his father's shadow, and set forth on his own quest to be a
Champion.
In 1995, after Ernie Irvan's near fatal crash at Michigan, Dale was asked to join the Robert Yates
racing organization, to fill in for the injured Irvan. It was during this "fill in" time that Jarrett had his first victory with the Yates team at Pocono, winning the Miller Genuine Draft 500. This seemed like an unlikely paring at first, but has
proven to be an excellent combination. In his first outing with his own Yates car, he won the Daytona 500. Jarrett
brought the Ford Quality Care Thunderbird to Victory Lane giving him his second win at the "World
Center for Auto Racing". Even with some changes in crew members and uncertainty as to the whole
Yates' organization, Jarrett has never seemed to falter. Known in the past as a "hot head, with a bad
temper", he has emerged as an extremely patient, calculated driver. It wasn't the easiest rap to beat
with instances such as throwing his helmet at Bobby Hillin during a caution for an "altercation", but Jarrett has emerged victorious!
Thank you Christi!