The 1999 Winston Cup Champion may be at the crossroads of his career. Dale Jarrett has laid his future at the feet of his sponsor, UPS. Commenting on his future, Jarrett says “all options are on the table.” His contract with MWR runs through the ‘08 season. Waltrip has given DJ the fexibility to run as long as he cares to. The ‘07 season has been less than MWR or Jarrett expected. UPS, to their credit has been patient. Options could include anything from retirement, running the full schedule to a partial schedule similar to Mark Martin. Martin, who has said he is having a lot of fun this year will not consider a return to running the full schedule. Jarrett may be feeling the same way. He has done some work with ESPN and would certainly be welcomed to a career in broadcasting as his father, Ned Jarrett did.
Grumpy has always felt that guys like Jarrett, Martin and Rudd are great ambassadors for NASCAR and their sponsors. It is sad to see them all reaching the twilight of their respective careers. They have set the bar high for the current crop of drivers to reach.
Kudos to UPS for making the commitement to follow Jarrett to MWR and TOYOTA. It has been a sometimes painful transistion. They have been a great sponsor for Jarrett and it is hoped they will stay with MWR in the future.
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