Dale Jarrett Will 'Race' The Truck As Part Of 'DJ's Deal' At Lowe's Motor Speedway

[PressRoom-GFN]

By Deb Williams

CONCORD, N.C. (March 19, 2008) – When Dale Jarrett makes his final appearance at Lowe's Motor Speedway in the May 17 NASCAR Sprint All-Star race, the UPS-sponsored driver will finally “race” the truck after spending some time with his fans, it was announced Wednesday at the 1.5-mile track.

After Jarrett is introduced prior to the all-star race, he will step into the UPS Race Truck from the UPS ad campaign and take one lucky fan for a ride around the speedway. The winner of the ride-along will be announced May 13 when Jarrett and his father, Ned, are inducted into the speedway's Court of Legends in front of the Smith Tower. The person will be selected from those who have purchased tickets in the “DJ's Deal” section or have sent a postcard labeled “DJ's Ride-Along” to Lowe's Motor Speedway, P.O. Box 600, Concord, NC 28026. Contestants must include their complete name, address, day/night phone numbers and e-mail address on each postcard entry.

“D.J.'s Deal” is a special two-day ticket package for $44. Friday's ticket provides admission to the all-star race's qualifying session and the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Saturday's ticket is for the all-star event.

Also available is a $99 Saturday hospitality package that may be added to one's ticket order. It includes food and drink in a UPS Racing-themed chalet prior to the event and a brief question-and-answer session with Jarrett, as well as a pre-race pit pass.

During Wednesday's press conference, Jarrett also unveiled the special paint scheme that will be on his No. 44 Toyota Camry for the all-star race. It commemorates several of Jarrett's career accomplishments.

“The images bring back a lot of really, really good memories,” Jarrett said after seeing the car for the first time. “I've been very fortunate to far exceed anything that I thought I might could have achieved in this sport thanks to a lot of really incredible people – car owners, crew members, sponsors – it's been fantastic. This is a perfect way to end things.”

LMS President and General Manager H.A. “Humpy” Wheeler said it had been “an honor and a privilege” to have Jarrett compete at the speedway, which opened in 1960.

“I don't think there is anything more difficult than being the son of a great race driver, because everybody expects so much of you,” Wheeler continued. “Usually, they don't make it. The genes don't always go down one generation. Sometimes it's seven or eight later, but, obviously, they transposed themselves to Dale, but it wasn't without a lot of difficulty.

“I will never forget that terrible crash that you had here in the Sportsman race [in 1980]. You broke your ankle and you were up for a long time. When you have a break as severe as that and you have to spend a lot of time thinking about it, a lot of guys just fade off into oblivion. You did exactly the opposite. You came back and hung in there and through the tenacity and determination that Jarretts have, you made it and became a champion. We're real proud of you, and we look forward to your last race being here, the Sprint All-Star race, even though we don't look forward to not seeing you on the track anymore.”

In 21 years of competition at LMS, Jarrett has completed 18,702 laps in Sprint Cup, Nationwide, and IROC competition at the speedway, which is more than 28,000 miles. His winnings at the track total $3.9 million. He's visited victory lane three times in the Sprint Cup and twice in the Nationwide series. Jarrett also has posted 39 top-10 finishes in 93 starts. Even though Jarrett is ending his career in a Toyota, he has driven a Chevrolet, Pontiac, Ford, Buick and Oldsmobile during his career.

Jarrett has yet to win the all-star race, but he has finished second, placing in the runner-up position in 2000 and 2001.

###