"This seemed a lot easier a couple months ago when I started thinking about this than it is to stand here today," Jarrett said Friday. "I'm just here today to officially announce a reduced schedule for Dale Jarrett's driving career. Last year I signed up to do two years with Michael Waltrip Racing and with UPS and in the last three months there has been a lot of thought and consideration that has gone into what's best for my sponsor, UPS who I have been with for seven years now. To determine what was best for myself and my family and what was best for Michael Waltrip Racing. I came to the conclusion and went to UPS with the idea that I would like to back out of all 36 races and gave them options of what I felt would be best for them."

UPS has been Jarrett's primary sponsor since the 2001 NASCAR season and Jarrett's announcement means the end of the first chapter in UPS Racing history. Ron Rogowski, director of sponsorship for UPS, explained how successful the relationship with Jarrett has been and what he has meant to the UPS brand for the last seven years.

"I want to take the opportunity on behalf of UPS and over 420,000 employees around the world to thank Dale for the last seven years," Rogowski said. "I wanted to let everyone know that when UPS first entered into the NASCAR family seven years ago we had no idea how successful this program would be. Really the success of this program was all about Dale Jarrett. Becoming the official package carrier of NASCAR, our race team, our hospitality, our successful "Race the Truck" campaign was all built around Dale. His professionalism on the track and off the track, the way he conducted himself, the way he represented UPS and our employees was above approach. I think most of you sitting in the room today who has worked with Dale know what a professional he has been."

While the majority of the news conference was about future plans, Jarrett did take a moment to reflect on his career and what being a competitor in the Nextel Cup Series has meant to him and his family.

"To steal a phrase that many of you have heard, I do feel like the luckiest person on the face of this earth," Jarrett said. "I get to do what I enjoy doing in driving a race car and I have gotten to make a lot of good friends along the way. I've been fortunate to do it without serious injury and I am able to walk away from it on my own terms and that's a good thing. I can't say enough about the France family and everyone at NASCAR over the years for the opportunity they have provided me. This has been, in my mind and in my heart, a privilege and an honor to drive a race car in this series and to drive for the people I have driven for. I have raced against some of the best in the business that will always go down as the best. I was just very fortunate to come into this sport at a time when it was really on an upswing and it was great to have those people helping me along the way too."

"To finish my career with the best sponsor in the business, I don't know how it could be much better," Jarrett added. "I'm just very fortunate and very honored that I've had this opportunity for so many years. The last 21 years have been built around being at a race track for more than 30 weekends a year doing exactly what I enjoy doing. My family has paid the price and allowed me to do that and hopefully I can give some of that back now. I'm still going to stay busy and I'm still going to be involved with the race team -- but this is the plan right now. I hope you understand that this is a decision that I made and I am very fortunate to be surrounded by a lot of good people."

While Jarrett will not run the full schedule in 2008, the plan is that he will run the first five races in addition to the Budweiser Shootout. After running in the Sharpie 500 at Bristol, Jarrett will return to the track one last time to participate in the All-Star race at LMS.