Last week Dale Jarrett treaded through unfamiliar territory when he failed to qualify for the Nextel Cup race in Richmond. It was the first time that Jarrett failed to qualify for a Cup race in 424 attempts, a consecutive streak that dated back to North Wilkesboro Speedway in October of 1994. It was an experience he hopes to not have to repeat for another 424 attempts, but current goals and expectations for the veteran driver are more realistic than that. His #44 UPS Team is experiencing the growing pains that come along with being the new kids on the block in the world's premiere motorsports arena.
"Last week was so disappointing I don't even know how to put it into words," Jarrett said. "I have been competing in just about everything since I was young, from basketball to golf to race cars. I just love to compete and to not have that opportunity hurt worse than anything, not only or me but for my team and for UPS. So we'll just keep working hard and try to keeps things in perspective. This may happen again, but I know for sure that I won't give up and I know my team won't give up."
The Dodge Avenger 500 is scheduled for a 7:00 p.m. EDT start this Saturday.
Dale Jarrett Discusses Racing at Darlington Raceway
How do you like racing at Darlington?
"Darlington is always a fun place to race. It has always been a racer's kind of track. With the track surface being the way it is, your tires lose grip real quick and you have to use all your skills to get around this place, so it's a pretty tough track to get a handle on. Now having the lights here and racing at night, the track sort of displays a whole new kind of character to it. I just really like coming back here every year because I've been doing it every year since I was born, and when you talk about tradition and how things got started in our sport, you certainly think of Darlington. I've seen my dad win here in the Southern 500 and I've been fortunate to win at this track myself. So it definitely is one of the favorite stops for me during the season."
What was your mom like when you were growing up?
"I'm a little biased when I say this, but I had the best mom in the world. She was great. She was always kind of the person to help keep the stability and order in our family. Obviously, dad was off doing what he loved to do and making a living for the family, but mom kept us in line. She got us to church when we weren't at the race track and did all the things you would expect a regular mom to do. She got us to our baseball and basketball practices and, again, made it to where, when dad did come home and had the time, he was able to spend time with the kids. She's always been supportive of me. I can remember she wasn't real happy when she first found out I wanted to be a racer. I think she was hoping to keep me out of a race car and hoping maybe I'd try to go play golf or whatever. But she's been supportive and I think she's pretty happy with the way things turned out."
UPS Racing Team Notes of Interest
- Dale Jarrett has led a lap in 17 of his 36 starts at Darlington Raceway for a combined total of 458 laps lead over his career at the famed track.
- Jarrett has 11 top-five and 13 top-10 finishes at the track "too tough to tame."
- Since his first start at Darlington in 1987, Jarrett has started on the front row four times, with three pole positions and one start from the outside pole.
- Jarrett has won three times at Darlington in 1997, 1998 and 2001.
