This week the Daytona International Speedway (DIS) officially kicked off its celebration leading up the 50th anniversary of the running of the Daytona 500. On Thursday, July 5th the kick-off began with a gathering of all the remaining past Daytona 500 champions. A place familiar to all the drivers involved, the drivers'/crew chiefs' meeting room at DIS was the site of the historic meeting of many of NASCAR's greatest drivers. Along with the drivers, several members of the media and photographers were on hand to capture the event.
The morning began with drivers signing pieces of Daytona memorabilia for various charity auctions. Then the drivers assembled together for a photograph to help commemorate the special day. After the group photo, the drivers split up to address the media. Without a doubt the celebration will continue to grow as the months pass leading up to February 2008, but Thursday's event was "pretty special," according to Dale Jarrett.
"It's a little overwhelming walking into the room this morning," Jarrett said. "I've read the list before of all the guys that have won the Daytona 500, and I've been around many of them most of my life. I feel like I've known some of these guys forever. I even remember having a picture of me sitting on Junior Johnson's lap when I was a kid. But to come into the room today and see all these guys together was more than I expected. I'm truly honored and very proud to be a part of this exclusive class of past Daytona champions."
"Today is real special for me," Jarrett said as he continued to search for the words to express what the day meant to him. "You're always looking for ways to market this sport and it's great to be able to honor these past champions. I think maybe some people have forgotten about some of the guys in this room. But they probably deserve more credit than they've gotten. They deserve more for what they've done for this sport. Guys like Pete Hamilton and Mario Andretti - all of these guys have done a lot of work to help elevate the sport of NASCAR, and this 50th anniversary celebration might be more for these guys than it is for the fans. I know personally, I'd like to go around to all of them and say 'thanks' for all their efforts."
With the assortment of television, print and internet media on hand for the morning's festivities, the main question on the top of everyone's list for Dale Jarrett was what it was like to win his first Daytona 500 in 1993 with his father, Ned Jarrett in the television booth announcing the race. Dale seemed to make every move that day exactly as his father was telling him to. It was a memorable day that left many fans wondering if the father/son tandem had direct radio communication between the car and the booth. Dale's candid response to that day gave a different perspective.
"To be honest with you, and no disrespect to my father, but I wasn't thinking about him at all during the end of that race," Jarrett said. "I had to think about winning the race. The idea that I was making all the same moves at the same time he was yelling them on television was only because he had taught me so much before and we had gone over it so many times. We had worked through different scenarios way before I got in the car. I had my eyes glued to the rear view mirror to make sure Senior (Dale Earnhardt, Sr.) and Geoff Bodine couldn't pass me. It wasn't until I got into victory lane and they handed me the headset and microphone that I remembered that my dad was in the broadcast booth."
Michael Waltrip, car owner and teammate to Jarrett, was also in attendance and being honored as a past champion of the Daytona 500. His first and most memorable Daytona 500 victory came on February 18, 2001, the same day the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. lost his life due to fatal injuries sustained in a last-lap accident. Waltrip's thoughts on the importance of what the day's activities meant to him reflected those thoughts shared by Jarrett.
"Being able to hang with these guys was so cool," Waltrip exclaimed. "It's amazing that so many of these guys were champions when I was just a little kid. I was coming here before I was even a teenager to watch my brother Darrell compete at Daytona. So it's definitely a pleasure to be a part of this fraternity. It's great to be in the company of guys like David Pearson, Mario Andretti and Pete Hamilton, but I don't feel like I'm in their league."
As a continuation of the celebration and honoring of the past Daytona 500 champions, drivers will participate in many more activities between now and February 2008. Dale Jarrett will have his footprint, handprint and signature immortalized in cement for the Daytona 500 Champions Walk of Fame display at DIS. Fans can visit www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com for a complete and up-to-date list of activities for the celebration of the 50th running of the Daytona 500.
