Dale Jarrett

NASCAR Driver

Career Highlights:  One of the most esteemed drivers in NASCAR history, racing is in the family bloodline of Dale Jarrett…Jarrett is the son of two-time NASCAR Grand National champion Ned Jarrett and the father of former Busch Series racer Jason Jarrett…Upon high school graduation, Dale Jarrett was offered a full golf scholarship to the University of South Carolina, but declined to follow his passion of racing…In his career, he has competed in almost 700 races over an incredible 30-year career…A three-time Daytona 500 winner, Jarrett spent his early years honing his skills on short local tracks such as his hometown track, Hickory Motor Speedway, driving in late model series events…He eventually transitioned to the NASCAR Busch Series in 1984 and began competing full-time in 1987… Jarrett captured his first win in NASCAR’s top series at Michigan International Speedway in 1991…His big break came in 1993 when he won the Daytona 500, where his father, Ned, was in the television booth calling his son to the finish line in a close battle with legendary driver Dale Earnhardt…In 1995, Jarrett won at Pocono in July, along with nine other top-five and 14 top-10 finishes that year…His 1996 season started strong when he won the Bud Shootout at Daytona…Jarrett nearly replicated his earlier win at the Daytona 500 by again beating Earnhardt to the line for his second victory in the season-opening event…He won three more times in 1996, including the prestigious Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway to close the year with 17 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes, and a then-career best third in the point standings…For the next 10 years, Jarrett raced into the NASCAR record books with many emotional wins to the crowning achievement, the 1999 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Championship…He was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and also was honored with the 2004 USG Person of the Year Award…A few months ago, Jarrett transitioned into the broadcast booth when he joined ESPN as a full-time analyst for the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series races.

Updated: May 2008
Courtesy NBC