THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, September 1, 1996 TAG: 9609010231
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BOB ZELLER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DARLINGTON, S.C. LENGTH: 88 lines
It was business as usual around the back end of Dale Jarrett's transporter Saturday at Darlington Raceway.
Life was so routine, a stranger to NASCAR Winston Cup stock car racing would have been unable to tell that Jarrett was racing for the $1 million ``Winston Million'' bonus in today's Southern 500, starting from the pole position.
Jarrett's father Ned, himself a two-time NASCAR champion, was telling folks that he'd never seen his son so calm and collected.
``I've never seen him at peace as much as he is right now,'' Ned said Saturday.
Dale, to be sure, displayed no tension whatsoever. The extra publicity is just fine with him. Compared to the trouble he endured trying to fill Ernie Irvan's shoes in the Robert Yates Racing No. 28 Ford Thunderbird during the first half of 1995, this attention is delightful.
``This is much better and much more enjoyable to talk about,'' Jarrett said. ``Everything is fun again. Before, it was a lot of extremely difficult work to make things happen.''
Said Ned: ``I think that helped to prepare him for this situation.''
Outside the transporter, however, team publicist Randy Laney had a look in his eyes that suggested a bomb might go off behind his back any second.
``I'm the only one who's been jumping out of my skin,'' said Laney. ``I went to bed at 11 last night and woke up at 3 a.m., wide awake.''
Laney, a veteran stock car racing public relations man, himself is a good example of the twists and turns of this sport. Last year, he wasn't even in Winston Cup. He worked with a Grand National team.
This year, Laney has been running himself ragged. Not only is Jarrett going for the Winston Million, he is in the thick of the Winston Cup championship battle and has won four races, including the Brickyard 400, the Daytona 500 and the Coca-Cola 600.
But Laney knows his job is that much easier because of Jarrett's outstanding character. Jarrett is one of the most congenial and cooperative drivers in the garage, and it's no put on.
Perhaps it is because he grew up in a NASCAR family and knew what to expect. A lot of it is because the Jarretts are good people. There is no finer gentleman in the sport than Ned Jarrett.
But unlike Jeff Gordon, who has refined his image as a clean-cut, cultivated, speak-no-evil competitor, Dale Jarrett will show his rough edges from time to time.
``Idiots! Idiots!'' he exploded at Bristol in the spring of 1993 after colliding with the lapped car of Bobby Hillin and crashing in the fourth turn. ``It's a shame idiots like that are out there.''
Moments earlier, on national television, he had thrown his driver's helmet against Hillin's car as it passed. NASCAR parked Jarrett for the rest of the race.
Just last weekend, late in the night race at Bristol, Jarrett suddenly began falling back. He thought he had a flat tire. He needed a yellow flag.
Suddenly, as he headed into turn one behind Gary Bradberry, Jarrett slammed into the back of Bradberry's car. Bradberry crashed and the yellow flag came out.
On the radio moments later, Jarrett told his crew that Bradberry had been all over the race track all night. But on that particular lap, Bradberry was minding his own business and covering the low groove.
``It certainly wasn't intentional,'' Jarrett said here Saturday. ``By that time, I knew my tire wasn't going down and I was trying to get the positions back that I'd lost. Either he slowed down or I went in too hard, but I hit him. It was my fault. But I didn't mean to do it.
And then he added: ``I've only done that one time in my career. It was at North Wilkesboro about four or five years ago. And there was some payback involved.''
Jarrett wouldn't say who his victim was, but the stories establish that he does blow his top from time to time, and he can be ruthless.
Jarrett finished eighth in Saturday's Grand National race and planned to reserve the evening for his family.
``It will be hard to even think about the money when my kids are here,'' he said. ``I'm going to chase them around down here around the motor homes.
``Until (20-month-old) Zachary conks out about 9 or 9:30 p.m., you can't even think about much else but chasing him around and doing what he wants to do. He'll help keep my mind off of it.
``But I don't really see a situation of not being able to sleep or anything. If it's going to hit me, I think I'll probably be pretty nervous before the start of the race, but I usually get nervous before any race.
``And I hope that continues, because when that stops happening, I'm going to get out of this business.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
ASSOCIATED PRESS
``Everything is fun again,'' Dale Jarrett says, enjoying the
publicity after spending some time in the shadow of teammate Ernie
Irvan. by CNB