| | When it comes right down to it, life is just one big gamble, where surprises pop up and fate, compounded by luck and chance, dictate the path taken in a career or life. Sometimes it's a garbled mess. You can't see the forest through the trees, or those diamonds in the rough.
But, sometimes a long shot can change our culture. But so many instances, all it took was for someone to take a gamble, rolled the dice on greatness, chance failure and ultimately changed their life.
Who would have thought a wide receiver from Mississippi Valley State would rewrite the NFL record books like Jerry Rice has done for the better part of the past two decades. Who can explain a lanky blond kid from French Lick, Ind., reviving the NBA, or a muscle-bound Austrian becoming one of the biggest movie stars on the planet.
|  | | A familiar sight in '99: The No. 88 out front on the way to another finish near the top. |
Dale Jarrett took a big gamble five years ago and wound up a champion this year because of it. Rewind to 1994 when Jarrett shocked everyone by leaving a good team to become great with another team. D.J. took a defining chance on his career. Nobody could see it then, but it was a safe bet.
But to understand what the '99 season signifies to Jarrett's life and career, one has to go back nine years to the fall of '91 when a phone call from a former NFL coach turned Winston Cup owner changed the path of Jarrett's career. The new owner recruited Jarrett for the same reason he'd drafted certain players while building Super Bowl champions in Washington, D.C.
The coach saw something in Jarrett. He saw ingredients like a drive to win, desire to compete and an unending diligence to do whatever it took to be a winner. Within two years, Jarrett finished fourth in points. By 1993, he gave Joe Gibbs a victory in the Super Bowl of NASCAR, winning the 1991 Daytona 500.
But the '94 season ended with Jarrett taking a chance and making a change. Jarrett felt that in order to follow in his two-time Winston Cup champion father's footsteps, a change was in order. Even with stability in his personal and professional life, D.J. threw caution in the wind.
An accident on Aug. 20, 1994 left driver Ernie Irvan in a Michigan hospital fighting for his life. Jarrett knew the No. 28 car was a proven winner and more importantly a title-contending mount. Even though he had a contract in his hand, his brother-in-law as his crew chief and two wins over three years driving for Gibbs, D.J. was about to risk his professional career to become a champion.
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Champions in the 90's
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1999*
1. DALE JARRETT
2. Bobby Labonte
3. Mark Martin
4. Tony Stewart
5. Jeff Burton
*One race remaining
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Points
5,087
4,878
4,778
4,651
4,573
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1998
1. JEFF GORDON
2. Mark Martin
3. Dale Jarrett
4. Rusty Wallace
5. Jeff Burton
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Points
5,328
4,964
4,619
4,501
4,415
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1997
1. JEFF GORDON
2. Dale Jarrett
3. Mark Martin
4. Jeff Burton
5. Dale Earnhardt
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Points
4,710
4,696
4,681
4,285
4,216
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1996
1. TERRY LABONTE
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Dale Jarrett
4. Dale Earnhardt
5. Mark Martin
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Points
4,657
4,620
4,568
4,327
4,278
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1995
1. JEFF GORDON
2. Dale Earnhardt
3. Sterling Marlin
4. Mark Martin
5. Rusty Wallace
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Points
4,614
4,580
4,361
4,320
4,240
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1994
1. D. EARNHARDT
2. Mark Martin
3. Rusty Wallace
4. Ken Schrader
5. Ricky Rudd
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Points
4,694
4,250
4,207
4,060
4,050
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1993
1. D. EARNHARDT
2. Rusty Wallace
3. Mark Martin
4. Dale Jarrett
5. Kyle Petty
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Points
4,526
4,446
4,150
4,000
3,860
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1992
1. ALAN KULWICKI
2. Bill Elliott
3. Davey Allison
4. Harry Gant
5. Kyle Petty
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Points
4,078
4,068
4,015
3,955
3,945
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1991
1. D. EARNHARDT
2. Ricky Rudd
3. Davey Allison
4. Harry Gant
5. Ernie Irvan
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Points
4,287
4,092
4,088
4,985
4,925
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1990
1. D. EARNHARDT
2. Mark Martin
3. Geoff Bodine
4. Bill Elliott
5. Morgan Shepherd
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Points
4,430
4,404
4,017
3,999
3,689
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He placed a call into Robert Yates. His message was seen by former Yates crew chief Larry McReynolds, who stuck it into his pocket before Yates could see Jarrett's name on the list of possible replacements for Irvan. Jarrett, however, kept calling and got through to Yates. The two struck a deal that saw D.J. fill Irvan's seat.
"He told me that he wanted a chance to either prove he was a good driver, or he was going to go play golf," Yates recalls. "So, I told my guys that D.J. was going to be 'The Man.' Then he fails to qualify for North Wilksboro and my guys weren't very happy about D.J. coming over now. They were wondering what we were getting into.
"Then he went out and won Charlotte. I was like, 'Whew, what a relief.' My guys were okay with the decision after that."
Even with his latest win at Charlotte with Gibbs, Jarrett had made up his mind. He wanted to drive for the No. 28.
"I was sure that he would stay at the 18 car after the Charlotte win," Yates said. "But that Sunday night, he called me and said he still wanted to do the deal."
The only security Jarrett had when he arrived in the Yates camp was a one-year contract and the potential of stout horsepower. But D.J.'s perseverance and strong desire to succeed was tested several times over the '95 season. Eleven times he finished outside the top 10 and six times he did not finish races. With Irvan getting healthy, it was clear Jarrett wasn't going to remain in the No. 28 seat. And he wasn't exactly giving Yates a reason to keep him around.
But the possibility of a second Yates team was looking more likely for the '96 season. But the possibility of Jarrett driving that second team was looking more and more unlikely. So Jarrett tried to put together his own team, while Yates searched for a second driver.
Both would wind up back at the other's doorstep. But not before a few anxious months went by.
Yates looked at several drivers, including Johnny Benson, Bobby Labonte and Ward Burton. Jarrett worked several sponsorship deals, but wanted to drive for any team he put together. When Jarrett's deals fell through, he found himself like a man without a country. But his drive and determination never wavered. He still had a few races left before Irvan returned.
Faced with a losing hand, Jarrett drew a winning card at Pocono with a victory. While he didn't know it at the time, it would seal his fate with Yates.
"Larry McReynolds came into my office one day and said, 'Maybe we are overlooking the right driver for the job. Maybe we've got him right under our roof," said Yates.
There were still a few guys on the team, however, who wanted a different driver in the second Yates' car. But they soon came to the realization that Jarrett was the right man for what became the No. 88 ride.
"He knew our system," said Yates. "And to be honest, he did well with what we felt like were some outdated chassis."
So, the deal was done in Yates' mind, but he had to seal it and chose a little diner outside Darlington Raceway to do so with Jarrett. It really wasn't a hard sell. It went something like this in the parking lot.
Yates: "So D.J., do you want to do the deal?
Jarrett: "Yes sir, I'm good with it. Let's do it."
The deal was done. But destiny is what happens after history plays its hand. The creation of Dale Jarrett's first championship began with a simple phone call. Since that call and the formation of the No. 88 team, starting with the 1996 Daytona 500, the results have spoken volumes about chemistry.
What started four years ago as a rookie team with a rookie crew chief and a second-generation driver has produced more victories than any team not in Rainbow fire suits. Jarrett has proven a worthy pursuer of NASCAR's Holy Grail. The No. 88 team has never finished lower than third in the points standings.
Jarrett has won 14 races since joining forces with Todd Parrott, but it's not the number of wins, but rather where they've come that bears repeating. Daytona ... Charlotte ... Darlington ... Indianapolis. The races every driver dreams of winning, but only a few ever get to realize.
And now, the young man who cut his racing team on a small bullring in Hickory, N.C., is the champion. By following his father's lead, the Jarretts are only the second father and son to win Winston Cup championships. Lee and Richard Petty, the First Family of NASCAR, make up the other duo.
"It's pretty neat to see how far this team has come in only four years," Jarrett said. "And to see what we've accomplished, it's pretty special to me for sure. Heck, it's pretty neat. It means a lot to me."
Everyone has to pass failure on the way to success. Dale Jarrett has paid his dues. | |
ALSO SEE
No. 88 in '99
Jarrett, Yates earn well-deserved championship
Weber: Father knew best
Parsons: A true championship season
Jarrett's hard drive to the top
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