Jarrett calling it quits on his own terms, as an All-Star

CONCORD, N.C. -- Dale Jarrett's march to his final checkered flag is almost complete.

Ending all speculation about his future, Jarrett stood in the infield media center at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Friday afternoon and confirmed what most everyone already had reported, plus a few little tidbits that qualified as news.

Jarrett will retire next season after running the Bud Shootout -- a non-points event -- and the first five points races, including the Daytona 500. But his final race will be the All-Star Challenge next May at Lowe's Motor Speedway

Dale Jarrett

Career Stats

Years	23
Starts	663
Wins	32
Top-5	163
Top-10	260
Poles	16
Laps Led	7,047
Avg. Start	18.9
Avg. Finish	17.1

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Ironically, Jarrett arrived at the decision to make that race his last based in large part on the struggles he has endured this season while driving the No. 44 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing.

After switching to the startup team that had no owner points to fall back on, Jarrett has made only 20 of this season's first 31 races (he failed to qualify for the Bank of America 500 at LMS; he made four of the final five races in 2007). That includes six races he made using past champion provisionals, which he is entitled to as the 1999 Cup champion.

Next year, after running those first five races, which he will be guaranteed to make as a past champion, Jarrett will turn over the No. 44 and all its owner's points to David Reutimann, who will begin the season driving the first five races in the No. 00. That, in theory, should help ensure that both Reutimann and whomever replaces him in the No. 00 will be in better shape to be in the top 35 in owner's points after the first five races, increasing the chances that both MWR cars make more races.

Jarrett called it "an insurance policy," and explained then how the scenario also affected his decision to run his final race in the non-points All-Star event.

"There were a lot of considerations there -- knowing that it couldn't end with the Daytona 500 because of what we need to accomplish for Michael Waltrip Racing and UPS, we needed to run those first five," said Jarrett, who will turn 51 on Nov. 26. "The next consideration was to possibly run my last race at Indianapolis and another consideration was to make the Coca-Cola 600 here in Charlotte my last race -- but I realized that was somewhat selfish on my part because what that would do to allow me to be in one of those races would only knock someone else out who is trying to run all those races.

"I know what that is like this year. I didn't want to put someone else in that position, so the All-Star race seemed like a good fit. That is the plan and it has been a difficult decision, but I knew it was coming. I just felt like with the things that have transpired this year, I am ready to do this."

It's not a decision he took lightly. In typical fashion, he thought about how it would affect all those around him -- and as with the decision to make the All-Star race his last, he put the considerations of others before himself.

Jarrett talked with Reutimann first about possibly replacing him in the No. 44 car sponsored by UPS, and then talked with UPS officials about his idea of having Reutimann carry the torch for him with his longtime primary sponsor. In fact, Jarrett was the only driver UPS has sponsored during its seven-year run in the sport. (Continued)