A Very Classy Guy

Kurt Busch on Dale Jarrett:

“It’s incredible to grow up watching the races and to be rooting for those drivers. When I was growing up there was Ken Schrader, Rusty Wallace, Bill Elliot and Dale Jarrett – a guy that won the 1999 championship. A guy that I met for the first time when I won the 1999 Southwest Tour championship – they brought all the champions to Homestead and I got to shake his hand. That was one of the coolest moments – I got to meet a NASCAR champion. That was the first champion I ever met.

“My first start at Dover, he started right behind me. I just pulled out of the way as quickly as I could because those guys wanted to go a lot quicker than I did at the start of the race. To see him win the Daytona 500 a bunch of times – to win at Michigan with the Wood Brothers for his first win - there are so many Dale Jarrett classic moments – he’s a very classy guy. Somebody each and every young driver should look up to him for what he has done for the sport and behind the scenes. A pure champion that has that legacy from his father Ned –it’s a racing family - it’s tough seeing him retire lile he has. It will always be that Dale Jarrett was a champion that I looked up to and try to mock some of his actions.”