He's just a great guy

The following are quotes from Tony Stewart regarding Dale Jarrett...

What is you favorite memory about Dale Jarrett's career?
"He's just a great guy -- probably seeing him win the Daytona 500 and having his dad doing the commentary live as he's coming down to win the Daytona 500 was pretty cool. I'm excited for him as a person, I'm sad as a driver to see him go -- we're going to miss having him down in the garage area every week. You have to be excited for somebody like him that's done this as long as he has and he's leaving on his own terms. He's got other things that he wants to do with his life and I think we all ought to be happy for him."

Can you talk about what Dale Jarrett has meant to the sport?
"He's been a great voice. He's kind of been a mentor in the way that (Dale) Earnhardt Sr. was -- when Dale Jarrett spoke about something -- everybody listened and took to heart what he said. He's always had that smile on his face and he's got that famous DJ smile. He was a great champion, he was a great winner and he was a great ambassador for this sport. He was one of the first guys when I won my first race at Richmond to congratulate me. He made you feel welcomed and you appreciated his friendship."

How was Dale Jarrett to race against?
"He was very fair -- he was one of those guys that would race you hard when it was time to race hard and when it was early in the race and it didn't mean much, then he knew to be patient. He raced you the way you raced him. If you learned to be patient and race him with respect he would do the same."

How is Dale Jarrett off the track?
"He's great and a lot of fun. He's got a great personality and is a big sports fan. Rather it's college basketball, pro football and obviously he's a great golfer. He's just a great athlete off the track also."

Contributed by
Mike Arning
True Speed Communication
http://www.truespeedcommunication.com/