52 Facts About Dale Jarrett

Dale Arnold Jarrett was born on November 26,1956 and is a former American race car driver and current racing commentator for NBC.

Dale Jarrett is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in 1999.

Dale Jarrett is the son of 2-time Grand National Champion Ned Jarrett, younger brother of Glenn Jarrett, father of former driver Jason Jarrett, and cousin of Todd Jarrett.

In 2015, Dale Jarrett became a part of the NBC Sports Broadcasting Crew for NASCAR events.

Dale Jarrett was inducted in the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Dale Jarrett was born on November 26,1956 in Conover, North Carolina, the middle child of Ned and Martha.

Dale Jarrett has an older brother, Glenn; and a younger sister, Patti.

Dale Jarrett's father Ned competed in the NASCAR Grand National Division between 1953 and 1966, winning two series championships in 1961 and 1965.

Dale Jarrett spent his childhood traveling to his father's races across the Southern United States.

Dale Jarrett was introduced to golf by age twelve; he played football, basketball and baseball while attending Newton-Conover High School.

Dale Jarrett led his high school's golf team to three conference championships, and was named the school's athlete of the year as a senior.

Dale Jarrett was offered a full golf scholarship from the University of South Carolina, which he declined.

Dale Jarrett started last and finished in ninth place; it was after this event when Dale Jarrett knew that he wanted to race for a living.

Dale Jarrett continued to compete in the Limited Sportsman Division for two years, before moving up to the Dash Series and then the Late Model Sportsman Division, the latter in which he earned his first victory.

Dale Jarrett competed in the 1982 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series for car owner Horace Isenhower.

Dale Jarrett earned fourteen Top 10 finishes throughout the season, with a best of third place at Hickory; and he finished sixth in the point standings.

Dale Jarrett earned six front-row starts and 19 Top 10's, finishing a career-best fourth in the point standings.

Dale Jarrett made his Winston Cup Series debut during the 1984 season.

Dale Jarrett made two more Cup starts that season, at the Firecracker 400 for Jimmy Means, and the Warner W Hodgdon American 500.

Dale Jarrett earned his second career victory in the Busch Grand National Series at Hickory during the 1987 season.

Dale Jarrett ran every race of the 1988 season, despite running with various teams.

Dale Jarrett made most of his starts in the No 29 Hardee's-sponsored Oldsmobile owned by Cale Yarborough, finishing eighth at Riverside International Raceway.

Dale Jarrett ran races for Buddy Arrington and Hoss Ellington that season, finishing 23rd in the final standings.

Dale Jarrett ran the entire season for Yarborough in 1989, posting five Top 10 finishes, including two fifth-place runs.

Dale Jarrett enjoyed the majority of his success in the Busch Series during the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

Dale Jarrett finished in the Top 10 seven times during the season and finished 25th in the final standings despite missing the first five races of the season.

The next season, Dale Jarrett won the Mello Yello 500, but chose to step down from the Gibbs organization at the end of the season.

Dale Jarrett signed to drive for Robert Yates in 1995, piloting the No 28 Texaco-sponsored Ford in place of an injured Ernie Irvan at the Winston Cup level.

Dale Jarrett won his first Cup race for Yates at Pocono Raceway and finished 13th in the final standings.

When it was announced Irvan would return to the 28 after a year-long absence due to injuries, Yates had planned to help Dale Jarrett compete in his own team with a Hooters sponsorship.

In 1996, Dale Jarrett won the Daytona 500 for a second time, and finished in the Top 2 in each of the first three races of the season.

Dale Jarrett won the Coca-Cola 600, Brickyard 400, and the second Michigan race.

Dale Jarrett finished third in the final point standings behind Hendrick Motorsports teammates Terry Labonte and Jeff Gordon.

Dale Jarrett's kissing of the bricks at Indianapolis started a tradition that has been used by every NASCAR team at the race since then and in the Indianapolis 500 since 2003.

In 1998, Dale Jarrett won three races, and finished second in the last two races of the year, ending up third in the final point standings to Jeff Gordon, despite suffering gallbladder problems, which made him miss the exhibition race in Japan.

Dale Jarrett retired from the Busch Series to become a part-time owner, partnering with National Football League quarterback Brett Favre to field the No 11 Rayovac-sponsored Ford for his son Jason, Yates teammate Kenny Irwin Jr.

Dale Jarrett had 11 wins in the Busch Series when he retired.

Dale Jarrett began the 2003 season by winning at North Carolina Speedway but only posted five more Top 10 finishes, relegating him to 26th in the final standings.

Dale Jarrett rebounded in 2004 to finish 15th in points, despite not winning a race for the first time since 1992.

When Dale Jarrett confronted him under a red flag, Hmiel flipped him off drawing a fine from NASCAR.

Dale Jarrett was not penalized for any part he had in the wreck.

Later, Dale Jarrett got his last career Cup series win at Talladega Superspeedway, again finishing 15th in the standings.

Dale Jarrett's best starting position was 2nd and he finished 23rd in points.

Dale Jarrett started the 2007 Nextel Cup season on a high note as he drew pole position for the annual exhibition race, the Budweiser Shootout, at Daytona.

Since Dale Jarrett's team was a brand new team and had no owner points, and due to a rule change, he was eligible to use the Past Champion's Provisional five times as his 1999 championship was the most recent among past champions who were driving for teams not in the top 35 in owner points; prior to the rule change the use of a Past Champion's Provisional was not limited.

Dale Jarrett was forced to use all six of his provisionals at the start of the season, starting at Daytona mainly because Michael Waltrip Racing was penalized by NASCAR for an illegal fuel additive during Speedweeks and the penalties knocked Dale Jarrett, Waltrip and Reutimann out of the Top 35 in owner points-the safety net for qualifying regardless of rain and cancellations of qualifying.

Dale Jarrett started 43rd in the Daytona 500 and finished 22nd.

Dale Jarrett used his last champion's provisional at the spring Talladega race, Aaron's 499.

Dale Jarrett retired from points racing after the 2008 Food City 500, turning the No 44 Toyota ride to David Reutimann.

However, Dale Jarrett was not guaranteed to start the first five races using the champion's provisional as he had the year before as Kurt Busch, the 2004 champion, had his team's owner points transferred to his teammate Sam Hornish Jr.

Dale Jarrett started off 2008 with a 16th-place finish at Daytona.

Dale Jarrett retired from points racing after the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway.