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2009-12-15T17:43:00.005-05:00

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2008-12-01T17:51:00.002-05:00

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Phoenix Picks

2008-11-09T11:35:00.003-05:00

Checker O'Reilly Auto Parts 500
Sunday November 9, 2008
Starting Time: 3:45 est.

My PayTheFan.com Picks for Phoenix

Group A: Dale Earnhardt Jr. #88
Started: 5
Group B: Mark Martin #8
Started: 10
Group B:Jamie McMurray #26
Started: 2
Group C:A.J. Allmendinger #84
Started: 13

I didn't have Kevin Harvick left on my PayTheFan.com picks but I think he will be very good today. If nothing else, his confidence from his win in the Craftsman Truck Series race and his 3rd place finish in the Nationwide Series races should help him today. Look for Bowyer to be strong along with some of the other Chase drivers like Johnson, Gordon, Edwards, and Hamlin.

Mark Martin, as always, will be strong especially after leading in the spring race here at Phoenix. If I remember correctly, he either ran out of fuel or had to pit for fuel and Jimmy Johnson won without stopping. Johnson did have a fast car that night as well.

The 26 has been running real good lately and I look for him to run good again today.

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Atlanta Race Picks

2008-10-26T09:25:00.002-04:00

There are a lot of drivers that love Atlanta Motor Speedway. The cars can spread out and the drivers can find the groove that they like and that their car likes. It is a great mix of fine tuning the car and working on your line all day. Track position is always important but if your car has the ability to run a different line than the guy in front of you, you can make some passes. Basically, you race the race track all day and put yourself in position to have a good finish.

I have to believe that all of the Roush Fenway cars will be the best cars today. Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson will again be strong, as usual. During practice yesterday I also thought that Stewart looked good along with his Gibbs teammate Kyle Busch. I don't feel like there will be too many surprises at the front of the field, but if there are a few that I would keep my eye on: Kurt Busch and Kasey Kahne.

My www.PayTheFan.com picks for today are as follows:
A Carl Edwards
B David Ragan
B Michael Waltrip
C AJ Almendinger

General Top 5 Picks:
1. Carl Edwards
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Greg Biffle
4. Tony Stewart
5. Kurt Busch

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Martinsville Speedway Picks

2008-10-19T08:39:00.002-04:00

For the past several weeks I have been able to post my picks for the Sprint Cup Series races. It is tough to pick the top five every week but with Martinsville up today, only one thought enters my mind: Hendrick Motorsports. Jeff Gordon and Jimmy Johnson will again be at the top. I think in that order. Gordon looked the best in practice and Johnson was right there with him so I think they will continue the Hendrick dominance at Martinsville Speedway.

No one is far off on the stopwatch but track position and pitting sequence will determine so much more about finishing positions than speed. It is hard to pass, even if you are a faster car. Emotions run high as fenders bang together. Drivers get mad and impatience runs rampant. With qualifying rained out yet again the best pit road selections were taken by the teams at the top. This will make it tough to gain points on Johnson.

Martinsville Speedway top 5 picks
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Jimmy Johnson
3. Jeff Burton
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr
5. David Ragan

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Lowes Motor Speedway Pick

2008-10-11T15:30:00.002-04:00

Lowes Motor Speedway is a tough track. It is narrow and very fast. They go the same speeds at a lot of other tracks but since Lowes Motor Speedway is more narrow where you catch someone to pass them makes a huge difference. It has been interesting to see some of the cars work on the top groove on the Charlotte track. Some guys make that work and some just cannot get their cars to work up there.

Hopefully we don't have a replay of last night's Nationwide race. There were a lot of running into each other last night. The drivers I think will have the best chance to win will be on most people's lists for this event. Every race takes a perfect night but Lowes is going to demand the same. Pit stops will have to be great and when you get track position you will have to either be able to maintain it in order to keep gaining a few spots all night.

I am glad we have last night behind us. It was a long night with the rain delays and the crashes.

Last week will not have much to do with how drivers finish tonight but when you add in the controversy of the finish it was an exciting Talladega ending. Regan Smith, win or lose, put himself on many more people's radar. Hopefully, the most popular 18th place finish in history will help him land a sponsor and ride for 2009.

My picks for Lowes Motor Speedway:

PayTheFan.com Picks

A. Denny Hamlin
B. Juan Pablo Montoya
B. Kasey Kahne
C. Bill Elliot

Top 5 Other Picks

1. Jimmy Johnson
2. Greg Biffle
3. Jeff Burton
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Clint Bowyer

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Talladega Picks

2008-10-05T10:28:00.003-04:00

Everyone that has ever been to a race at Talladega knows just how enormous the track is. Most of the drivers show up knowing they must survive until the final 15 laps, stay with the draft, and miss the "big one."

As a spotter this is one place that getting as much practice as possible always helps. I was fortunate to have an ARCA ReMax Series car and a Craftsman Truck Series truck to spot for this weekend leading up to the Sprint Cup race on Sunday. Friday's ARCA race was a short day as the #7 team was involved in the first caution of the day around lap 14. AJ was not able to return to the race after being involved in the accident. For the truck race I was spotting for Dennis Setzer. He has a lot of experience and because of that, he made the day much easier for me and his team. Setzer finished 13th in what I thought was a solid day. I am look forward to today's race with Scott Riggs. He is driving the Hunt Brothers Pizza Chevrolet. Visit www.FreeGasFreePizza.com to learn more about Hunt Brothers Pizza.

There was an accident in Friday's Sprint Cup practice involving 4 to 6 cars. Dale Jr. had a tire failure and collected some other cars when he spun. A few of them are in back up cars and a few of the teams were able to fix their primary cars. I don't see that being a factor today. All of these teams treat their back up cars just like their primary cars.

It is always hard to pick winners or the top five for any race but Talladega Superspeedway has to be the toughest. All of the cars will be stuck together all day drafting lap after lap until the final 10 to 20 laps. I still think the drivers that make it to the front at the end of the day will be similar to any other Sprint Cup event. Every now and then you will have a surprise finisher in the top five or if the "big one" happens then the out come will be different.

The guys I picked today for my www.PayTheFan.com picks look something like this:
1. Jeff Gordon
2. Ryan Newman
3. Brian Vickers
4. Mike Skinner

Obviously there are others that have good enough cars.

A few others include:

1. Jimmy Johnson
2. Greg Biffle
3. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

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Chase Race 3- Kansas Speedway

2008-09-28T09:41:00.002-04:00

There is something about coming to Kansas that makes me feel at home. It probably has to do with a few things that happened in my own racing career. The Kansas Speedway opened for racing back in 2001 and I was fortunate to be a part of their first ARCA ReMax Series event. Plus, I was even more fortunate to be with a team that helped put me in victory lane that day. It was a day I will never forget.

The win was special but there were a lot of things leading up to that day that made the win more than just your average win. It was my first full season in the ARCA ReMax Series and so I was picked by the series to come out to Kansas Speedway for "media day." Basically, the track and team send a few drivers to the tracks a few weeks ahead of race week so everyone can capitalize on some media opportunities. Normally, you go to the track for a press conference, local radio stations, and local television stations to put the word out about the race coming to town.

I didn't really know what to expect when I arrived in Kansas for those couple of days. Now that I look back on it I had a great time. I met some friends that I will have for life and I was able to be a part of helping the Kansas Speedway kick off its inaugural weekend of racing. The fans here supported it then and by the looks of being in Kansas this race weekend they are still supporting the track and their favorite drivers and teams.

Chase Race 3
The Kansas Speedway is a pretty typical 1.5 mile (often referred to as a "cookie cutter") track. Although, based on the Nationwide race and the final Sprint Cup practices the track has become wider as the years have gone by. There will be cars that can make the bottom work and there will be cars that will make the middle and top lanes work. I still think the cars that can make the bottom work will finish the best.

Look for Biffle to be strong again along with your usual cast of chase drivers. The 48 is on the pole and it never hurts to start up front in the clean air. Denny Hamlin won the Nationwide event so I think this will help his efforts today.

My top picks for the Kansas race
1. Kevin Harvick
2. Carl Edwards
3. Jimmy Johnson
4. Denny Hamlin
5. David Ragan

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Autoclub Speedway Race Picks

2008-08-31T16:27:00.003-04:00

After watching practice yesterday I have come up with four or five drivers that seem to be the fastest. The cars get so spread out in practice and you never know who is on old tires or new ones so it makes picking a bigger challenge. Some places you have to just remember back to the race before or make a couple races before.

We have all watched the long races from the track formerly known as California Speedway. The cars get spread out and most of the time it turns into a good old fashioned gas mileage race. The front four or five cars, that get that clean air, will probably be lapping a lot of cars. Track position is going to be huge, as it always seems to be.

So, for my picks this week I am going to stay with what I remember working here in the past.

Picks
The top five plus 3 sleepers that I was watching
1. Carl Edwards

2. Greg Biffle

3. Jimmy Johnson

4. Kasey Kahne

5. Kyle Busch

6. Elliot Sadler

7. Dave Blaney

8. Aric Almirola

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Watkins Glen Picks

2008-08-10T09:21:00.002-04:00

With Qualifying rained out this week the field has been set by the NASCAR points system. They were able to complete both race practices on Saturday afternoon. Getting these practices in is probably more important than the actual qualifying speeds anyway. There may be some good picks that didn't get a great pit selection because of the rain on Friday but most of them will play the fuel mileage game anyway.

The weather is going to be a factor. Rain showers are going to be in the area most of the day. With that said, it may be a race to lap 45 instead of lap 90, if the rain sets in after the halfway point.

The top picks I am looking at are mainly guys that competed in the Nationwide race yesterday. Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt, Jr, and Jeff Burton come to mind at first but there are a handful of others that I believe will be strong. The 48 really look like they are gaining momentum every week. The 88 has been top ten material pretty much every week. Jeff Burton put together a strong run yesterday and I think he will drive a smart race.

There are a few road course "ringers" in the race but I still feel that the experience of the Sprint Cup regulars will be most important at the end. They are just more familiar with how to get on and off of pit road without mistakes.

This week I am grouping them into three groups of three and one group of three "ringer."

Watkins Glen Picks:

Group A
Jimmie Johnson
Jeff Gordon
Dale Earnhardt, Jr

Group B
Kevin Harvick
Tony Stewart
Denny Hamlin

Group C
Kurt Busch
Ryan Newman
Juan Pablo Montoya

Group D (Ringers)
Robby Gordon
Marcos Ambrose
Boris Said

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Pocono Raceway Picks

2008-08-03T09:16:00.002-04:00

I am going to try something new this week. Every week people call me to ask me which drivers or teams are fastest. So, I usually discuss with them who I think is fast based on what I see from the spotter's stand compared to who they think is fast based on what they see on tv or read on the internet. It makes for some interesting discussions.

The two practice sessions scheduled for Saturday were cancelled due to rain. The only practice that Cup ran was on Friday. Most teams on Fridays concentrate on Qualify. At the same time, the teams in the top 35, usually make a few race runs before switching the car over to their qualifying setups.

This week Jeremy Brickhouse and I are picking our top 4 picks plus 1 sleeper pick. Below is what we have come up with for the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500. The race coverage begins on ESPN at 1:00PM est.

Starting Line Up: Top 5
1. Jimmy Johnson
2. Mark Martin
3. David Gilliland
4. Jeff Gordon
5. Matt Kenseth

Pocono Race Winner in June:
1. Kasey Kahne

This Weeks Picks:

Brickhouse Top 4 plus one B pick
1. Jimmy Johnson
2. Mark Martin
3. Jeff Gordon
4. Denny Hamlin
5. Brian Vickers

Jarrett Top 4 plus one B pick
1. Kasey Kahne
2. Jeff Burton
3. Matt Kenseth
4. Carl Edwards
5. AJ Almendinger

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Driver’s on my Radar

2008-06-08T09:35:00.001-04:00

These are a few drivers that I have been watching this season. I catch them at different times and different tracks. And obviously don’t get to see their every lap but I have been keeping an eye on these drivers. There are many other young and up and coming drivers out there but these have caught my attention lately.

Joey Logano

For the past two weeks we have heard a lot about Joey Logano. For the most part I think he has done a real good job. Last week at Dover I was able to watch him live. One thing I always look for when a new driver comes in is his/her on track awareness. He seems to know where he is on the race track and seems to already know how to make sure he doesn’t put himself in a bad situation (although at Nashville he could have been a little more patient). It will be interesting to see if he learns from his mistakes. One of the things I respect about Jeff Gordon is he always learns from his mistakes.

Logano has shown a lot of maturity in his first two races. He finished in the top 10 in his first start and led plenty of laps in his second start. He has the talent as a driver, he has great equipment, and he has great people around him. The post race and post accident interviews will get better.

Chad McCumbee

Chad McCumbee finished 6th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Texas Motor Speedway. This race was a nice recovery after failing to qualify for the Sprint Cup race at Dover last week. Hopefully, he will have more opportunities in the Sprint Cup Series in the future.

Josh Wise

Josh had a good run going at Nashville Superspeedway but his night was ended short when contact from Mike Wallace took him out of contention. If owners and sponsors will just stick with him you will see a lot of him in the future.

Bryan Clauson

An early pit road mistake was costly for Bryan Clauson and his team. He has been getting faster every week so if he learns from those mistakes he will be fine. This is another situation that will be fine if his sponsors and team stick with him.

He finished 22nd at Nashville Superspeedway

Kelly Bires

Kelly Bires is fast. He got my attention again last night while I was watching the Nashville race. The thing I am noticing about Bires is he is learning to finish. When I first saw him race, he was fast but seemed to not be able to finish. If he continues to get top ten finishes you could see him at the Sprint Cup level in the next few seasons.

Landon Cassill

Landon makes some mistakes but he has good equipment. If he will learn when to race and when to give a little he will get better quicker. He needs to learn that keeping the fenders on the car is more important than protecting 9th or 10th place on lap 20.

He did a good job at Nashville and was able to finish in the top ten (9th)

Marc Mitchell

Marc Mitchell has had a solid season in the #15 truck. From what I have seen he has had some bad breaks. Although he finished 12th at Texas I remember seeing him get stuck behind the 99 truck on a restart. He recovered nicely and that move showed that he has enough maturity to settle back in and race back toward the front.

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Thoughts on Young Drivers

2008-05-29T22:03:00.002-04:00

Joey Logano

Joey Logano turned 18 so the Joe Gibbs Racing development driver will make his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut this weekend at Dover.

Dover is a tough race track but I have a feeling Logano will do a good job. He has some experience there in the Camping World East Series. He is driving a great car for a great organization. Plus, based on what I saw at Rockingham, he has plenty of skill to go along with his equipment.

Chad McCumbee

I still believe someone is missing out on an opportunity with driver Chad McCumbee.

He is on the brink of breaking out in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Of course there is no straightforward process you must go through to make it to Cup but I feel like Chad is talented and marketable.

He is still young and has plenty of racing experience now.

Josh Wise

Josh really opened my eyes last week at Lowes Motor Speedway. His finish does not tell the story for how well he ran in the Nationwide race.

As far as I know he has not raced in one of the top three series for a while (before the Lowes race) and he was able to put the Supercuts car up front. While racing up there he collected the wall and unfortunately was not able to finish in the top 10.

Hopefully we will see more of Josh Wise as the season moves into the long summer stretch.

Bryan Clausen

I have noticed that each week that goes by Bryan seems to learn from the mistakes he has made.

He is working with one of the best and most intense crew chiefs out there. Brad Parrott will teach him something every week.

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McDowell Hits Sprint Cup Hard and Fast

2008-04-07T22:27:00.002-04:00

With many of us out here to share our opinions we have all made comments similar to the following about drivers we think may be pushing the limits.

"He has never had a big crash." "He has not hit anything hard enough yet."

All of us, fans, competitors, owners, and sponsors can never say this about Micheal McDowell.

This saying is often used when more experienced drivers see these young drivers come in and do things on the track that may be considered crazy or wild. Kyle Busch often gets this reaction because he drives a little rough at times. He has hit pretty hard a few times. I am not sure Kyle could be as effective any other way. This is the style that allows him to tell the crew what his car is doing. If he backs it down a notch or two he may not be as effective.

Micheal McDowell is new to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series but this past weekend at Texas he jumped on the radar of many people inside and outside the NASCAR community. Heck I even saw him on the TV show, Inside Edition, doing an interview about his horrible crash. In case that comment did not make sense, Inside Edition usually does not do too many interviews with race car drivers.

If you have not seen the crash you need to look it up on the internet and watch it. All of the search engines have it plus I have posted it on www.JasonJarrett.com.

He was performing his qualifying lap when the car got loose going into turn one. When he tried to correct it the car shot right and smashed into the outside wall head on. This sent the car into a series of flips until finally coming to rest at the bottom of the track at the beginning of the back stretch. He has said that he never lost consciousness and remembers every flip until the car came to a stop. Michael walked away with some bruising and raced in the 500 mile event on Sunday afternoon.

From a safety point of view McDowell and his amazing crash has tested and passed all of the safety devices in one wreck. He tested the HANS device, the SAFER barriers, the full containment seat (LaJoie), and yes, the COT.

So, all of you that I listen to calling in on Sirius NASCAR radio can forget about the old style cars ever coming back. I am not saying that this one crash will make that decision but I am saying that for all of the complaining that NASCAR has had to endure they deserve a lot of credit for putting a safe race car on the track. They did their testing and they knew they had to make it safer to be able to bring us this great sport for many years to come. Even if it meant they were going to have to listen to some backlash at first.

The team, the car, the safety devices, and NASCAR did a great job to allow Michael McDowell to continue his quest to make it to the top. He can now move on and one of the best things is he will never have anyone say that he has not hit anything hard yet.

DJ's Last Ride

2008-03-18T15:27:00.000-04:00

AJ Allmindinger Needs More Time

2008-03-10T14:58:00.002-04:00

I am just now on my way home from the Las Vegas race and a two day test session in Phoenix. Most if not all of the teams took advantage of the opportunity to test. While I was there I heard that AJ Almendinger was being replaced this week by Mike Skinner.

The only information I have on AJ’s release is the same as what you have seen on the internet or on television. I think it is way too early and AJ is way too young for the team to make this decision right now. He (AJ) made a life changing decision to make the switch from open wheel cars to stock cars. There were times last year that he showed so much potential.

I know the team and media is going to put the big pr spin on this so I wanted to share my opinion that I am not in agreement with this move. Drivers get chewed up and spit out in this sport every week but AJ deserves more time. There will be a spin put on it that he will be placed in other series to gain him seat time and experience but I am not buying it. Although running in the Nationwide or Craftsman Series will be good he still needs to be in that Sprint Cup car. The new cars are different from the other series so I think they should do all of it if they are serious about giving him a fair shot at making it. A page out of the Gibbs playbook should be used here. I believe Gibbs is the best at giving people a fair shot if there is such a thing.

AJ is going to have to answer a lot of questions this week. He will handle it like a pro and do what he has to do. He has had a good attitude in all of the interviews I have seen. Even his interview after missing Daytona was a good one. He showed his emotions and you could see and hear the hurt he was feeling. Missing Daytona made the pressure double (if that is possible). The last time I checked, the Duels were a team effort. AJ didn't miss the race, the team did. California was out of his control being based on last year’s results. I am not sure what happened at Vegas but I know he was driving as hard as he could go.

Sure he should share some of responsibility but not to the point of being pushed to the side. It seems like everyone is only looking at their job and not considering that it is a team effort. Look I know it is huge business but the timing of this move is bad for this organization. They will have to learn a new driver in the middle of trying to break into the top 35.

Mike Skinner is a good driver and probably deserves to be in a Cup ride full time. He has tons of experience and will teach AJ some things about racing at the top level. We all know from the past that Skinner is a great qualifier. He will qualify and probably run good in the Red Bull #84 entry but I still believe this will hurt the team in the long run.

I hope AJ can make it through everything he is getting ready to experience. On a smaller scale I know what it feels like to be teamed up on like this. There is no one that will come to your rescue. I know other owners are paying close attention and if he keeps improving maybe he can get one of those rare but occasional second chances.

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Update: 3/10/08

I am a little late posting this story since the Atlanta race is over and Mike Skinner has qualified for and run the race but I still wanted my thoughts and comments on AJ to be posted.
Jason A. Jarrett

Penske Deserves Daytona Victory

2008-02-18T18:52:00.005-05:00

I don't know Roger Penske, but like you, I see his name everywhere. Whether it is truck leasing, car dealerships, or motorsports Penske is a highly successful businessman. When I see the name Penske, I think of perfection and precision. As far as his race teams that I come into contact with they are always well dressed, polite, and successful. He handles winning with class and when his teams lose they just go back to work and try to win the next event. He and his teams and drivers have tried to win the Daytona 500 for a long time and Ryan Newman was able to carry on that Penske success by putting Penske Racing in victory lane at the 50th running of "The Great American Race."

Ryan Newman has had success in the past and will continue to be a winner at the NASCAR Sprint Cup level for a long time. We all say it, but he could not do it without the right people behind him. With that said, Roy McCauley and his team deserve a lot of credit for putting Newman in victory lane at Daytona. Roy has managed to put together that winning team while he and his wife fight her battle with cancer. It is admirable that people like Roy can continue competing at such a high level while dealing with a tough situation.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup garage is made up of the most competitive teams and individuals in all of motorsports but I have a feeling that this is one of those "popular" victories. Most people throughout the garage, from team owners, drivers, team members, and media members will be happy for Penske, Newman and their teams.

I don't know Ryan Newman personally but I did enjoy seeing that he won the Daytona 500. He and his wife are huge supporters of the Catawba County Humane Society. They helped build a beautiful "no kill" animal shelter close to my office and home in Hickory, NC. Also, I see Ryan's dad Greg on the spotter's stand every week. We have a conversation every now and then but I think his situation is similar to when I used to be the spotter for my dad. He and I just discussed the other day just how much fathers and sons think alike so the spotting thing seems to workout. I am glad they were able to make it to victory lane while working together. That may not be their first win working together but I know it is their biggest win so far.

Lastly, I want to give Kurt Busch credit for the teamwork he showed to push Newman across the line to win the Daytona 500. Busch often gets blasted in the media ( by causing some of the problems himself) but this time he has shown a different side. I know he did not want to finish second but he realized that his push was going to not only help his teammate but also would help his team in securing a top 35 spot in the points for the 2008 Sprint Cup Series. To cap off a successful Speedweeks for Penske Racing Sam Hornish Jr. also had a nice showing in his first Daytona 500 with a 15th place finish.

There will be more great races to come and I feel certain Penske and his success will continue for a long time to come. Congratulations to all of Penske Racing's employees and team members.

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My Dale Jr. Opinion

2008-02-02T21:05:00.000-05:00

I am paying close attention to Junior these days. Many of you out there in the world are doing the same. We all have our own opinions about him and how things are going to go for him now that he drives for a team that doesn't bear his last name. It was stunning news to some, but others, like myself were not surprise to hear that Dale Jr. would no longer drive for Dale Earnhardt Inc.

I have always kept up with Dale Jr. and his career. Way back in the 90's we both ran NASCAR late models but hardly ever raced at the same tracks. He stayed pretty much at Myrtle Beach Speedway. I raced mainly at Hickory Speedway and Tri-County Speedway with his brother and sister. Back then I wanted to keep up with what he was up to because we all had ambitions of ending up at the top level of NASCAR. Now I keep up with Junior because I like the way he drives and I like the way he handles all of the pressure that comes his way. He has a good attitude and people around him seem to have a lot of respect for him. For many years I have wanted Dale Jr. and the guys that I raced with to "make it." Well, needless to say, he has made it!

I saw a story a few weeks ago that said something like, "Can Junior make it at the varsity level." That might not be the exact quote but it is close. And I did not read the complete article because the title basically hit a bad nerve with me. He has NASCAR Busch Series Championships and NASCAR Nextel Cup wins at several types of tracks. He has handled the massive crowds and the neverending media requests with open and honest answers. I like to hear his opinions and perspectives on things. Plus, he brings a breath of fresh air to what can sometimes be an all too politically correct platform. He does this without offending sponsors or competitors.

There have been many opinions about his move to Hendrick Motorsports. I have heard the usual, "If he can't get it done at Hendrick, he can't get it done." He will get it done. Mr. Hendrick has proven that he creates winners. He hires winners and makes them champions. Dale Junior will achieve the same when all of the tools are used to there potential. I have even heard Dale Jr. himself say that one difference now is that he can be "fired." You don't believe that do you? He is a winner and a huge marketable personality.

In my opinion, from a family side of the issue, I believe Dale Jr. will be more relaxed than ever. There will always be pressure on the guys at the top, but that pressure does not come close to the pressure "family business" relationships can create. I don't mean that he will have ill will toward his old company nor will they toward him. It will release pressure from both sides. In my own experiences I drove for a family owned team in 1999 and 2000 before moving to ML Motorsports in 2001. To this day, going to drive for ML Motorsports was a great experience for me personally. I had some things to prove to myself and I had relationships that I wanted to form without too much family influence or opinion. I still relied on my family for a lot things but without the pressures of actually working for my own family. Those few years of not working for them actually opened up a lot of lines of communication that we did not have before. I came full circle as I was the spotter for my dad for the past two years and now work at his office full time once again. We have a stronger relationship than ever. Family is always family! My situation was on a much smaller scale but I think that is why I respect so many things about Dale Earnhardt Jr.

This is what I think: Dale Jr. did what he had to for his own personal reasons. He doesn't have to tell any of us what those reasons are. The best thing about him is he knows how bad he wants to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup and he has now put himself in a better position to do just that. These guys take huge risks to try to be the best and no matter what his last name he wants it as bad if not worse than any other driver out there.

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Big Announcement

2007-10-22T20:04:00.000-04:00

I don't even know if people are interested or not but I try to keep the blog updated. Sometimes I let other things get in the way. I normally use it as a bit of stress relief but I have had a lot going on lately so I have let it slip for the past few weeks. These weeks are going by so fast that I can't keep up. It pretty much says that my time management skills are not very good.

A lot of things have happened since I last checked in with you. There has been a huge announcement that you have already heard about. I know many of you emailed me asking me questions that I didn't even know the answers to at the time of your emails.

The big happened during the week of the Lowes Motor Speedway events. DJ announced his retirement plans. This was October 12, 2007 and Ned Jarrett's birthday. I know, it seems so weird that dad's career as a driver is coming to an end. He is the kind of person that knows himself and I think he is really at peace with his decision. In my opinion, I really haven't seen it publicized too much. The only things I read about it were when the media was speculating on what DJ's plans were going to be. There should have been a press conference for him to announce his plans alone and then let the team, sponsors, and owners lay out their plans to the media. I know he is my dad but I would have to say this about any of NASCAR's 50 greatest drivers that would be making an announcement of this magnitude. Of course I look at it with a bit of bias but he deserved to get more out of his announcement than he received. For all I know the announcement went just the way he wanted it to. Maybe he wanted the team, sponsor, and owner to have their announcements at the same time. The more I think about it that sounds just like him by being a complete team player.

He will run the Bud Shootout, the 50th running of the Daytona 500, plus the next four points races of 2008. His final event will be the non-points event at the Lowes Motor Speedway, the All Star Race. This plan will help to get the #44 UPS Toyota Camry as close to the top 35 in points as possible. He will have his valuable past champion provisionals for the first five events just in case they are not able to make the field by qualifying on time. With the progress they have been showing I don't think they will have to use those provisionals. Their finishes might not show it but the 44 team has made steady improvement. Don't base it off of what you see in the final standings. This team is a great group of people and it has been really interesting to see the progress they have made since Daytona. There new driver will enjoy working with such a professional team of people.

I want to say that it has been huge honor to work with my dad for the past two seasons. When we went to Dover last year for my first race with him neither one of us knew what to expect. I had never been a spotter at the Cup level and I had never spotted for him at any level. You never really know who is going to workout as a spotter until you give them a try. He was gracious enough to give me a try and I think it has really worked out well. Now that we are two years into it I think we both have grown to trust one another as if we had worked together for many years. When I look back I will never forget that I had the opportunity to be a part of his final full time season as a NASCAR champion. It won't matter how many races we won working together or anything like that it will only matter that we were able to work together for a few years. Many of you probably know that working with family can be terrible or great. Well, I can say my time was great!

I am not sure what the future holds for me as a spotter but I feel like I have proven that I can spot at that level. Hopefully, in the next few weeks I can fill you in on my future plans for being at the track and on the roof.

As always thanks for reading. I will try to be a little more consistent as stories come to my mind.

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The Job of Spotting

2007-09-18T10:15:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago I saw a short TV segment about spotters. I guess I have a different view on what a spotter's responsibilities are or should be. From this TV segment I gathered that the Nextel Cup drivers have different thoughts on what they expect from their spotters.

I might have a different opinion because I spot for my dad on Sunday's but I try to treat every driver I spot for the same. Of course there are adjustments that are made according to each driver's suggestions and comments. Sometimes you have to adjust based on the performance of the car as well. Every driver is a little different than the next but the results should be the same at the end of the day.

There are many different styles of drivers so that means there are many different styles of spotters. Some drivers like to hear more talking, others want hardly any talking. Some may take a different lingo than what I use and some may not. There are a select few drivers that could race 500 miles by just using their mirrors and communications with the crew chief but those guys are thinning out as they come in with less experience in the heavier cars. It is harder to see out of the cars now because of the full containment seats.

I have a little bit of driving experience so I think I know most of the wording that the drivers like and dislike. Unfortunately, I didn't do any spotting before I started racing. It is now my belief that all drivers should at least go to the roof and take a look at what their spotter can see. And, if a driver is just getting started he/she should think about doing some spotting. At the very least young drivers need to grab a radio and head for the spotter's stand. This will allow them to see and hear exactly what is going on. There are so many things you can see from the roof. You can get a look at where cars are gaining or losing time. You can learn how the madness on pit road works and you can get a better understanding of putting yourself in good or bad situations on the track.

I am a little baffled at why the crew chiefs do not come to the roof to call the races. Maybe there is a rule in place saying the crew chief has to call the race from the pit box. In my opinion, they could call a better race from the roof. I would compare this to an offensive coordinator in football. Most, if not all, offensive coordinators are in a suite where they can see everything that is happening on the field. They can still call down to the other coaches and players if they need to and their view of the game helps them call the next set of plays. Crew chiefs should consider making a move to the roof in the future.

The spotters should be up there to do just that, spot. I feel that my job is to keep the driver safe, to keep the driver informed, comfortable, and safe. We assist in getting drivers on and off pit road but the crew chief usually handles getting the driver into their stall and out of the stall safely.
Sometimes there are situations where spotters get mad at each other. I am sure there are times when the driver and crew question the spotter. This comes from all of us being competitors. We all like to win! But, at the end of the day, I feel like I would put my in more danger if I started trying to force the issue. So, I will tell the driver what I see and let him make the final decision on what to do with the steering wheel and gas pedal.

Spotters are an important part of putting a good race together but sometimes we lose site of the fact that we are ultimately just a safety tool.

One thing that I have learned since I started spotting is that if I ever drive a race car again I will not yell at my spotter anymore.

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Bristol Changes Impressive

2007-08-27T22:28:00.000-04:00

I am here to let you know just how I felt about the new surface at Bristol Motor Speedway. The view that I had from the roof Thursday through Saturday was impressive right from the start of Busch Series practice on Thursday. Not only were there very few practice crashes there were cars searching out more and more grooves as each hour of practice past by. As you can tell I was excited about what was to come for the rest of the weekend.

Friday was a long day. We started off with two more hours of Busch Series practice at 9A.M. and end the night with the Busch Series race that night around 10P.M. The Cup Series practiced and qualified on Friday too.

With DJ running both the Busch Series race and the Cup Series race he had a busy weekend. It was a special weekend with UPS celebrating their one hundredth anniversary. DJ was able to qualify for both events. Winning the events would have made the weekend better but with the way the year has gone making both events had to relieve some pressure.

For the Busch race I stuck with spotting for my regular Busch Series driver Kyle Krisiloff. It was an eventful night and I have to admit that I found myself looking to see how dad was running every now and then. I was able to concentrate and keep Kyle out of trouble most of the night. He did a real good job in this event. They might not have been the fastest car out there but he drove one of the smartest races that I have seen him drive. The Walgreens/Lilly Ford finished 26th on the lead lap. A lot of you might be wondering why I didn't spot for dad in this race. It was really a simple answer: I made a commitment to the 14 car at the beginning of the year and I wanted to stick to my commitment. This was a one time event for dad this year.

The Busch Series race looked exciting to me. Not only was the finish exciting but the racing was tight all night and the drivers didn't have to knock each other out of the way to make passes. My main observation about the track on Friday night was that the drivers didn't have to rely on a perfect handling car. They could find a groove that their car worked well in and hammer down. If their car worked good on the bottom they ran there if not they found a groove in the middle or up top. Another thing that I observed was that since this was not a one groove track the drivers that were having an off night could move out of the way a little easier than what they could in the past at Bristol. There were a few wrecks but most of those were because someone had a part failure or simply made a mistake. It was good racing!

On Saturday the Cup Series rolled off at BMS. I was nervous as H! As the laps clicked off I calmed down and just did my job. The Friday night race made me a little nervous because there were guys putting cars in places that normally don't work at BMS. Also, I think I always get a little more nervous at the first of a race when I am spotting for dad.

The UPS Toyota had a long night but there were plenty of drivers and teams that had to fight hard all night. I don't think people believe me when I tell them that it is harder to run 30th than it is to run 5th. The guys racing you further back in the field are just as mad about running 30th as you are so they will not give you an inch. When you make it to the top five there is a little more give and take.

I saw a lot of great racing on Saturday night but after the event I stayed at one of the local campgrounds. We all sat around discussing the racing as we saw it. I guess you call it playing Monday morning quarterback or in this case Sunday morning crew chief. I met a lot of really nice people but it seemed we had a different few of how I thought the race went and how they thought the race went. They all were ticket holders so I couldn't argue too much with them. There were several people that I talked with that said they liked the race but they felt is was somewhat boring. I disagree. I saw some good racing going on every lap of that race. I think many of them wanted to see wrecks. Although none of the people I talked to openly admitted that I believe that is why they thought parts of it were boring.

My breakdown of things are different. You see, in Nextel Cup racing you have 43 of the most talented race car drivers driving as hard as they can every week. That is why they compete at the highest level of stock car racing. They are the best! They have the best mechanics, engineers, and crews putting their cars together so you see fewer and fewer part failures every week. The last thing is the people who designed the new layout at BMS did a great job. They made the track a better racetrack without it being a one grooved "bump and run" kind of track. The one thing that might make the Cup race better is might work for Cup racing a many tracks: make the races shorter. I believe that the Cup races become boring to fans because they are too long. The Busch race was shorter and perceived as more exciting. I saw all of the same things happening on Saturday that I did on Friday but the Saturday night race might of lost some peoples attention. So, just give that some thought as we move into the Chase.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure visits Talladega Superspeedway this weekend. If anyone out there wants to experience "Full Throttle Living" make your reservations to drive a race car today at www.RacingAdventure.com. You can also call 888-GO-RACE-1 for more information.

Thanks for reading and I will see you next time!
Jason A. Jarrett

Good Run Slips Away at Pocono

2007-08-06T21:36:00.000-04:00

We are still sitting on the runway waiting to take off and my mind keeps reflecting back to the race today.

I don't know but I am sure the television broadcast didn't show the progress the 44 made on the track today. It was exciting from my seat.

When the green flag dropped DJ started moving forward and never looked back. He drove from 40th to 19th before going behind the wall to replace the fuel pump.

Let me think about it for a minute...

I remember watching him pass a lot of good cars as he made his moves into the top twenty. Normally I wouldn't just come out bragging but I think a little bragging is needed after this one. At some point in the race he passed every other Toyota in the field. He made a couple of three wide moves that he hadn't been able to do in a while. The car was racing good and the driver had confidence. Funny how someone can just suddenly learn how to drive again.

The crew did a great job on pit road and by what I could hear the adjustments were small. That usually means the driver and crew are pretty comfortable in what they have for a race car.

DJ doesn't need me to defend him. His record speaks for itself. One thing that I am tired of is people asking me questions about him that they would never say to his face. Don't question any driver's competitiveness based on how much he gets so called "fired up." I can tell you from my own experiences of driving a race car that just because you raise your voice on the radio doesn't mean you are more competitive than the next guy. Most of the time the guy that is being loud is losing his focus. Some may not but most of the drivers know yelling on the radio doesn't gain you anything on the track.

After today's performance I would just watch what DJ can do with a car that feels like he wants it to feel. Now that I have that out of the way, let's go racing.

I think writing this has helped me cool down a little. A couple of times today I was having to calm myself down. To me, it was classic DJ. He just kept quietly moving forward and picking cars off. His car seemed to get faster the longer he ran and the others were slowing down and back pedaling right to him.

Hopefully things will continue to get better as the circuit moves to Watkins Glen next Sunday.

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The Next Superstar

2007-07-12T22:22:00.000-04:00

There are a ton of good race car drivers out there just watching and waiting on their opportunity to race in one of NASCAR's top three series. I have guys call me every week and ask me how they can get a shot at the "big time." A few years ago I would give them the typical answers: "Just work hard and drive hard," or something like that. I knew at the time I was filling them full of false hope. Now, I tell the people that call to work on knowing how to get sponsors and know how to market yourself. The most important part now is being able to write someone a check or bring a sponsor that will write the check for you. You can drive for just about anyone if you can bring the funds. This doesn't mean you should give up on your dreams, it just means that you need to learn more than just how to drive and how to work on cars.

There are exceptions to this just like there are in every sport and business. Please don't think I am trying to say that no one can do it without the big check but I am saying the majority don't do it without it. Nextel Cup is a little bit of a different story. At that level you will be weeded out if you don't get job done. But, with the other divisions you can certainly get there and stay there if you can come up with the funding.

There has been a trend by the team owners to find that next superstar quicker than the next owner. I think in the last few years that lesson has hit some of the team owners and sponsors hard with bad publicity. The latest incident with NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Aaron Fike is another example of teams and sponsors not taking the time to really get to know their drivers. Maybe they don't care as long as the checks clear. There have been some drivers in the past few years that just don't get it. It takes a lot to make me mad about not driving a race car anymore but these guys that are getting suspended for failing the substance abuse policy just make me mad. There are many guys on the roof with me every week spotting that can drive and represent their sponsors and team owners much better than some of the drivers out there getting suspended.

I might not have been the next Jeff Gordon or Dale Jarrett but there is one thing that I can say I had over any of these so called up and coming superstars: respect. Every week that I sat down in a race car I gave everything I had: I drove as hard as I could and I represented my team owners, sponsors, and fans with a high level of respect. They were the ones that made it possible for me to race for a living. These guys that are being suspended just don't get it. They are selfish and very disrespectful.

I didn't say I was perfect but I do get it enough to know that if you are going to drive a race car for a living you need to have some respect for those that will be effected by decisions that you might make. There are a lot of people that depend on you doing your job with a clear head. Not only are you putting yourself in harms way but you are endangering other drivers and crew members. Sure, these things happen in every sport but I believe racing needs to be held to a much higher standard because of the higher risks involved. NASCAR is doing a great job at testing these drivers and taking quick, appropriate action.

I am not a team owner or a sponsor. But, I understand enough to know if I were, I need to look into the character of the superstar I am getting ready to spend my sponsorship money on or accept a check from. Maybe the sport has past me by but I like to believe that self respect and respect for others still has some meaning. I do believe in second chances so I hope all of the drivers that haven't used theirs up will get the help they need and come back to have success on and off the track.

Thankfully, there are many of the guys that do turn out to be the drivers that they are billed to be. They get it and they make the most of knowing that driving a race car is a great job.

As the Nextel Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series head to Chicagoland for the weekend, the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure travels to Kansas Speedway for an exciting 2 day event. Check out www.RacingAdventure.com to book your next adventure. For more information call 888-GO-RACE-1.

Sweat out Infineon

2007-06-25T13:14:00.000-04:00

Infineon Raceway has to be a blast to drive. This was just my second trip to the road course. My first trip there was and is still very memorable. Last year we were involved in a late race crash that injured dad's hand.

I was more nervous going into this race than I was going to Daytona this year. At most tracks I feel comfortable but since the crash last year I was dreading Infineon.

The track is really amazing with all of the elevation changes and the drastic speed changes. It looks really tough to drive. I have driven at The Glen but Infineon appears to be a harder race track.

We all had to sweat it out on Friday. Qualifying day makes all of us nervous because we know there is a chance of having to take the lonely trip home if we don't qualify. Things worked out this week as all 3 MWR teams made the race. I know it doesn't fix everything but it felt good.

Before the race started I was a nervous wreck. No pun intended. I couldn't eat lunch and I went to the spotter's stand about two hours early. I wanted to make sure that I had a spot up there that I was comfortable with.

Just like when I used to drive, the nervousness went away when the green flag flew. I knew it was time to do my job to the best of my ability.

The road races always come down to fuel mileage or some type of pit strategy. We were able to finish 26th by making it to the end by not running out of fuel. Others were not so fortunate. It is not the finish the any of us were looking for but it was better than leaving on Friday.

I like Juan Pablo so I was happy to see him get his first win. He is a winner and I predict that this win will give Juan and his team the confidence to win on an oval later in the year. When we go to some tracks for the second time he will contend for some wins.

Well, as we move on to Loudon, I have to say that I was glad to get out of Sonoma without a crashed car this year. Now I can look forward to this race next year.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure is heading into its summer stretch. Call 888-GO-RACE-1 or log on to www.RacingAdventure.com for the most up to date schedule of events.

Watching Nextel Prelude

2007-06-06T21:49:00.000-04:00

I usually go to the movies about once a week but this week was a little bit different. For starters, the Nextel Cup event was forced to run on Monday because of rain on Sunday. So, I decided instead of going to a movie I would order The Prelude to the Dream. All I heard about last week was that this was going to be an great show. You have all of the ingredients: great track (famous Eldora Speedway), great drivers (26 Nextel Cup drivers), great fans (some joining in at Eldora and others watching on HBO Pay Per View), and great cause (Victory Junction Gang Camp).

It didn't take long for the excitement to start. Newman and Bill Elliot got together in the first heat race. Elliot came across the line on his roof. Once they turned him over he got out of the car stood on the roof and waved to the crowd. The second and third heats had plenty of action with cars on the bottom, middle, and top. You had such an impressive mix of Nextel drivers, open wheel drivers, and drag racers. These guys are all great, now they are in the same element to compete for charity and for plenty of bragging rights.

The main event has just started. There was a couple of quick yellow flags for some minor accidents. I don't have much experience on dirt but it will be interesting to see if the track changes. Looks like they can move around and find a groove their car likes. Jeff Gordon is showing just how awesome he is. I don't know how long it has been since Gordon has driven on dirt but he is putting on a great show with Carl Edwards. There are literally cars everywhere: bottom, middle, and top. Lap 18 there was a crash with Busch, Labonte, Kahne, and Stewart. From this point there is a lot of action going on. This needs to happen every year. Edwards, Busch, and Gordon great race!

These guys are talented. I would like to see more of this type of racing, maybe even a series. I would order this 3 or 4 times per year. Maybe like some of the other drivers said, let's make this the IROC Series. Stewart will push it and all of the sponsors and drivers should push this thing to keep happening and don't forget it was all for charity. Congratulations to everyone involved.

Racing Has Different Look With COT

2007-06-05T15:32:00.000-04:00

I don't know if the racing was that exceptional or great yesterday at Dover. Most of the time it depends on who you are pulling for and how they do as to whether you think it was good racing. Yesterday, I was only on the roof for half of the race due to the 44 not finishing the race. From my vantage point, the racing was not that great, but it was different.

As I watched the first half of the race I noticed something that I didn't see with the "old" car: the racing had a "short track" look or a "late model" race car look. That may be a little confusing but what I mean is by the way the drivers had to set up a pass. The passing had to be done so you didn't lose momentum. Even moreso than the old cars. After about 10 laps into a run DJ would start passing cars. As he was making these passes I noticed that he really had to start setting that pass up a lap before. He would follow the car into the corner as close as he could get and then as that car would push up he would run up the track in the center of the corner and make the exit of the corner more of a straight line. By doing this he could get in the gas quicker and not have too much steering in the car off of the corner. He would basically have more momentum on the exit of the corner and even if he couldn't complete the pass by the exit he would be in position entering the next corner. He was making this work and moving up before having his problems.

The reason that I noticed this is because it reminded me of the way it looks when I go watch the late model stock cars at Hickory or Tri-County Speedway. There was just a different look to the cars and the way they appeared to drive. With the old car you could drive into the corner harder and the COT you have to really manage your entry. I have never even driven one so I don't really know and I am going totally off of what I watched on Monday. I liked the way the cars looked and it does look like they might be harder to drive than the old cars.

I know NASCAR and the teams are going to come up with new ideas for the COT and it will evolve. Something else that caught my attention was the way one car could run away from the car behind him but stall out on the next car in front of him. Once dad would catch a car he really had to change his line to make a pass. That might be a good thing. You will automatically know the car is going to react different and you, the driver, must adjust to make the passes. You would probably get a different answer from all of them about that point. The best thing I noticed was that when you ran right on the tail of another car, it didn't seem to make the front car loose or make the car in the back any tighter. That is hard to tell from where I stand but my driver never said anything about getting too tight as he ran up behind cars.

There are still a lot of opinions out there on the COT, but as you know, it is here to stay. So, as the adjustments and changes are made we will all come back to the basics and just pull for our teams or our drivers and it will not matter what the next version of Nextel Cup cars looks like. This is a huge sport and it will go through many more changes as it continues to find new ways to grow.

In closing, I want to express my sympathy to the France family. All of us in this industry owe something back to Mr. Bill France, Jr. because he and his family have provided so many of us with an avenue to have jobs and careers that we enjoy. He will be missed but his legacy will live on with each race.

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600 Miles: A Little of Everything

2007-05-27T22:35:00.000-04:00

This was my first time spotting for the Coca-Cola 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway. As we saw tonight, the extra 100 miles makes for some interesting stories. I had a feeling going into the weekend that this was going to be a different kind of race. I also know there are a lot of guys, including myself, saying things like, "if this wouldn't of happened" we would have had a top 10, top 5, or even a win. This race always has some interesting story lines but they all come down to the same thing: be there at the end of 600 miles.

Although this was my first 600 miler as a spotter, I knew my driver had plenty of experience at LMS and at this endurance event. DJ's history says he will be good in the "big ones." This weekend was shaping up to be one of those races. After qualifying on Thursday I just had a feeling that he was going to be good in the race. Even after not having a stellar final practice, I thought he was good enough and smart enough to make things work in his favor.

The beginning of the race was crazy with two large crashes that DJ was able to make it through with minimal damage. Between the two crashes, there were plenty of good cars that had damage. DJ is good a taking advantage of things like this during the course of a race. It was really looking good to me. He had some track position and a car that Jason Burdette was going to work on and make better. I could just feel it: DJ was sounding confident and there was a long way to go.

What happened next was really disappointing for everyone involved. On a restart, as DJ entered turn one, I saw several cars going to the outside so I just informed him of how many were going to the outside of him. I knew something was wrong but I was just hoping that maybe he was going to be able to jump back in line and keep it going. He then came over the radio and said, "I blew up." He sounded dejected. This was the end of the night for DJ and the UPS Toyota team but they should keep their heads up about some of the good things that happened this weekend.

I told you it was a strange day. There are not many days that I get to see part of the race from the roof, listen to part on the radio, and watch part on tv. Once I left the roof, I jumped in the car and listened to the next hundred laps on the radio. This was the portion of the race that Vickers was checking out, or at least they made it sound like he was checking out on the field. For that portion, I was hoping Vickers could bring his Toyota home with a top five. Once I made it home there was still 100 laps left. As I sat there and watched I could see that it was going to be an interesting finish.

There were some guys up front that I was pulling for: Casey Mears, JJ Yeley, Kyle Petty, and Ricky Rudd? How could you not notice Kyle Petty? I enjoyed working with Butch Hylton last year so it was good to see Rudd up there at the end. As far as Mears and Yeley, I just like to see first time winners. Nothing against the other guys that have won but there is a new excitement in victory lane when a driver wins his first race. It is crazy that a Mears wins a stock car race on Memorial Day weekend. I was glad to see Casey get a good break. I predict that this win will send Casey to the next level. He can now have the same confidence that Jimmy and Jeff have.

Some might not like it but I like to see some races come down to strategy. No one wants to see this every week but it is good to see at certain races: the 600 and the Brickyard are two that come to mind. There might be some that didn't get to see their favorite guy win or even finish but it was an interesting race. Be it the 600, or next week at Dover, you have to be fast, but you have to be there at the end.

Thanks for reading www.fullthrottleliving.blogspot.com. Visit www.RacingAdventure.com to drive a Nextel Cup car with the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure. Father's Day is coming: call 888-GO-RACE-1 and buy dad the best gift ever.

The Drive

2007-05-21T13:56:00.000-04:00

The 2 weeks at Lowes Motor Speedway in May usually gives me a chance to think about things as I drive back and forth from Hickory to the track. Driving on the highway has always been a way for me to come up with new things to think about or write about. Last week was no different.

I listened to my XM and caught some of Claire B. Lang's shows and some of The Pit Reporters. It is just interesting to here all the different opinions. On Claire's show you here a vast difference of opinion because she has "insiders" and "outsiders" on her show. The Pit Reporters is also something good to catch because you get opinions on many subjects by different people within the racing industry.

Last week one of the subjects they discussed was disappointments for the year and of course DJ came up when David Newton made his opinion known. He basically said that he couldn't believe that DJ was saying that he would not need his six past champion's provisionals. As I listened to David it made me a little mad. I don't mean anything personal against David or any other journalist or columnist. They have a job to do. So do the drivers, and one of DJ's qualities, that makes him a champ, is a positive attitude. He might not have it with some of you that ask him about using "pc" provisionals or about why he has had "X" number of crew chiefs. I didn't say he had patience for things like that.

He is a positive person to the people that show him that they are being positive. He is a team guy and even more of a team guy when he gets positive reinforcement from the guys he is working with. So, the guys in the media might get a little different view because he does tend to say positive things, even if the odds are stack against him. I think many more people should think positive. So, David I hope you know where DJ was coming from when he was making the comments about not having to use his provisionals. He would probably agree that he should have been in your disappointments segment up to this point but I know one thing about him: his positive thinking will continue and he will continue to do his part in making good things happen for his team.

I am sure I will hear more things that get to me as I ride down the road again this week. This might be a week that I get even more upset but I mainly try to see everyone's side of discussions on radio and tv shows. Hell, it is meant for entertainment, right?

It is going to be a huge week for the UPS racing team as they attempt to qualify for the 600 at Lowes Motor Speedway. They have to feel a little better after the All Star event. I know they didn't contend for the win but they did make progress. The progress might not be so evident that everyone sees it or agrees with me but believe me, they have made progress. They will continue to get better every week that Jason and DJ work together.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure will be back in action at the Talladega Superspeedway with two full days of racing. If you want to drive a race car check out www.RacingAdventure.com for a complete schedule and information about the classes. Call 888-GO-RACE-1 to book your adventure today!

Junior Surprises Many but Not All

2007-05-16T11:06:00.000-04:00

All year there has been a lot in the news about Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his contract negotiations with DEI, Inc. I had not paid much attention to the whole situation because I really thought most of it was both sides putting little bits out to the media to satisfy them. Even as I read the paper on Thursday morning I didn’t think I would hear what I heard at the press conference that was called by the Earnhardt camp.

As we all now know, Dale Jr. announced that he will be leaving DEI at the end of the 2007 season. He will be exploring his options to drive for other teams. That doesn’t surprise me. There was not much said about if any or all of his current sponsors would be going with him. It wouldn’t surprise me if all of them went with him. I really wouldn’t be shocked to see some the sponsors on DEI’s other teams go where Jr. goes. Many of Jr.’s answers were your standard answers that any driver would have to give at an announcement like this. We have seen many drivers over the past couple of years make news by announcing that they would be switching teams this early in the season. Once I sat there and listened I wasn’t really surprised that Dale Jr., with the help of his sister and others close to him made the decision to explore new options for his career. However, I was surprised that DEI couldn’t come to terms to keep him there. Yes, Dale Earnhardt’s legacy and legend will continue to bring notoriety to DEI, but I don’t know how you loose your driver with the same name. Certainly, there are things none of us could understand about this situation and the magnitude of negotiating within the walls of DEI.

I am not saying DEI can’t have some success without Jr. and I am not saying they can’t have good race teams. As a matter of fact, I think they will continue to have competitive race teams but they will not have one ingredient that I think they need to compete for championships: Dale Earnhardt Jr. He is marketable, he is a winner, and he attracts good people to work for him because of these traits and many other traits that we may never see in public. So, I think the good people around him will follow him if they have the option and he will make the new people around him better because of the kind of person he is.

Dale Jr. made the right call. I know he had plenty of “advisors” while trying to decide what to do. I have a feeling he had some good advice from some people that have been in similar situations. Not many people, if any, have been completely in his shoes so he was probably very guarded in advice he took. Personally, I know how tough a “family business” situation can be and it doesn’t matter if you have one dollar or millions, family business is tricky to balance. Again, in my opinion, his decision was made to make is personal life better. I believe he will perform at a higher level on the race track now that he has made his final decision. I am glad that he is in a position professionally and personally that he could do what he wanted to do and not worry about anyone or anything else.

I heard him say repeatedly that many people will not fully understand why this had to happen but I know of one person that understands where he is coming from and I support his decision 100%.

Just when you think the big story has hit NASCAR something like this comes along and blows that theory out of the water. This is going to be a great story to follow as he finds his new home.

424

2007-05-07T13:49:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of impressive streaks in the sports world. I probably can't even name one off the top of my head. I know of one streak that ended this week and it hit very close to home.

DJ had competed in 424 consecutive Nextel Cup events until Friday. This streak might not mean much to some people but it meant a lot to me. This man, that happens to be my dad, has earned the right to compete at the top level of NASCAR racing. He is just a winner and this sport needs people like him in the race every week.

As you might think, I have a strong opinion on the timing of NASCAR changing the "past champion's" rule. So, after the recent news that we wouldn't be in the race this week, I feel like sharing that opinion with you.

Over the past 10 years or so NASCAR has tweaked the "PC" rules. This year I think was the biggest change to this rule. Of course I am going to think that since we had to go home and not race this week. We all scream about rules that effect us the most.

I don't question why a "PC" rule is in place. There has always been a certain loyalty give to the winners and champions of this sport. What I do question is the timing of the rule being put in place.

My mind works in strange ways sometimes. When the rule limiting the amount of "PC" provisionals to 6 for the year my mind immediately went one way. They put this rule in effect on the year dad would benefit from it the most. In my opinion this rule was put in place on a year that the person, the champion that was going to benefit from it happens to be a nice guy.

What am I saying? Yes, I think the rule was put in place on a year that the rule makers wouldn't get much resistance or opposition. People inside know DJ is an intense competitor and does his talking on the track. When he has the equipment and people that wins, he wins. Sure I am upset because it is my dad that had to be the first to miss a race under this new rule but I think the rule was put in place in a timely manner.

The races will go on and we can't change the rules. But when a driver like DJ has no presence at the track on race day it takes a lot away from the event. He will go on to race another day but you can bet a man with DJ's focus he will not forget the year this rule was changed.

The path of least resistance. It appears that even the rule makers take it some days.

424-crashes, wins, and a championship.

Talladega Wrap

2007-04-29T09:17:00.000-04:00

Saturday was an exciting race for me. Like many Talladega races there was something happening on every lap. Of course there were the normal crashes, big ones and small ones. I was spotting for Kyle Krisiloff, the #14 Clabber Girl entry. It was a great run for Kyle and his team as they came home fifth. Something else I really enjoyed was that another nice guy made it to the checkered flag.

Bobby Labonte has been around for a long time and in my mind is a great representative for this sport. He is rarely, if ever, controversial but he knows how to get the job done without being that way. Yesterday was a great example of the way you win. Bobby was around all day just seeing where his car worked the best and who he was working with the best. With plate racing there is always some timing and luck involved but Bobby was there to take advantage of the position he was in at the end of the race. He reminds me a lot of how my dad gets the job done. When they have the "chemistry" they win.

Now I agree that it would be boring if every driver was just like DJ and Labonte. I like these guys because when they put the helmet on it is all about business and when the race is over they are the nice guys they were before. People, whether it is fans, crew members, sponsors, or other competitors have a lot of respect for them. I like to hear all of their opinions and how they evaluate certain situations.

Every week I enjoy hearing what all of the drivers have to say even if I disagree with them. I like to take something from the driver's quotes and try to understand what made them look at a situation different that the next guy. They are all on the same track but rarely see situations the same as the next competitor. Most of the time when they speak up without seeing a replay they are just telling you what they saw from the seat. When they go back and watch it they often have a different opinion or quote. I remember wrecking at Kansas one time and I blamed someone else. Well, I saw the replay and had to make my way over to the other driver and apologize. It is easy to do when you do an interview right after exiting the car.

The controversy with Stewart last week was blown out of proportion a little but that is just the way it is when you are Tony Stewart. I don't believe that NASCAR is similar to any wrestling association but they do have some responsibility to keep things entertaining for the fans. What do you think would happen if someone reported debris and 3 laps later someone wrecks? Then you would have guys saying that NASCAR should have put the caution out 3 laps before they did. They understand better than fans, team owners, and competitors that they may have to make a quick call and if that means keeping the drivers safe, I am all for it.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure was at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday and Sunday. It was a successful weekend as many customers were able to enjoy getting behind the wheel of a NASCAR Nextel Cup stock car. The next event will be held at Talladega Superspeedway on May 26 and 27. For details on how to join us at the track visit www.RacingAdventure.com or call 888-GO-RACE-1.

Nice Guys Do Win

2007-04-16T13:51:00.000-04:00

There are a lot of people out there that say "nice guys don't win." This weekend gave me reassurance of something I knew all along: nice guys do win. Racing has a persona of being made up of nothing but so called tough guys. I have know for a while that a number of racers are nice guys and great drivers. There are two that are on my radar right now for being good racers and good guys.

Jeff Burton and Dale Earnhardt, Jr. are the two guys I am referring to right now. There are many others but I think this weekend brought Burton and Earnhardt to the front of my mind. I heard some people say that Burton should have been more "aggressive" at Bristol. First of all, I hate that word when it is used to tell people how good of a race car driver someone is. The so called aggressive drivers get labeled that because they are in good equipment and have good people around them. Oh, and they can drive! Jeff Burton knew at Bristol he had the fastest car and he did everything he could to win short of wrecking himself or someone else. He also knew that a Nextel Cup victory was right around the corner for him and his RCR team. The nice guy thing works for Burton but don't think for a minute that he is laying back or not giving all he's got just because he doesn't bump someone or wreck someone to win. He knows how important it is to keep the fenders on these cars so he and his team can continue to make his cars drive better. There are guys that everyone loves and pulls for, and when they bump and wreck, it is exciting but they actually take a step back because his team then has to refocus on fixing equipment instead of making their car faster. Jeff Burton gets it and maybe now everyone else will too. This nice guy will continue winning and making his team better.

Some of you are wondering why I listed Dale Jr. in the "nice guys do win" category. Well, it is not everyday that you see people that willing to get in a competitor's race car, especially after wrecking out of the race yourself. He may of also had some other motives that drove him to jump in another car. But it comes down to him helping out some of his friends that happen to be on a different team. There was part of him that wanted to see how a Hendrick car drove, although it had been wrecked. There was part of him that wanted people to wonder exactly what his motive might be. He wanted to get the attention of the media, without saying a word, and he did. He wanted people to wonder if it had anything to do with his contract negotiations. He wanted to finish the race and he did just that. For me, I believe he knew a lot of different questions would be asked, but in the end, he was just doing two of his favorite things: helping out some friends and racing.

Why do I think he won? Because he just loves to race and be involved in this sport. He is living his dream. Sure there are bad days for him just like anyone else but not many guys would have stuck around for friends or anyone at this point. He did and I think that is another reason he is so popular. I don't really know him now but I do know as we both grew up in the infields around the country that Dale Jr. wanted to race worse than any other kid in the infield.

These are two total different guys. They probably don't many other common interests other than race cars. On Sunday they were on different ends of the score board but that didn't change the fact that they are both nice guys that win.

Want to take a test drive? Call 888-GO-RACE-1 or visit www.RacingAdventure.com to sign up today. The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure will be visiting Atlanta Motor Speedway next week and Talladega Super Speedway in May. Join us at the race track and remember, "Don't Do Anything Half Fast!"

Both Sides of the Track

2007-04-09T16:27:00.000-04:00

As we all know, there was no Nextel Cup race this weekend. So, the racing was left up to the NASCAR Busch Series and the ARCA Re/Max Series at the Nashville Superspeedway. I have a couple things that really stick out in my mind about this past weekend. It was cold and the racing wasn't especially great. That is not the two things.

First, the argument always comes up that the "Buschwackers" are invading on the Busch Series regulars. Yes, they win a lot of the races. I don't have official records but I think a Nextel Cup driver has won every Busch Series race this year. This is not a big surprise to me and probably not to anyone else. At one time, way back in 2000, I was looking at this situation differently. I was wanting NASCAR to make a rule to limit the number of Nextel Cup drivers because I was one of the cars getting bumped from the field. Things have changed now and it is not that the Busch Series regulars are going home but they are not winning the races. Back in 2000 I would have traded almost anything for this situation. Now, instead of missing the race, the Busch regulars make the races, they just don't win. There is no need to make a rule right now. NASCAR probably saw this coming and that is why they didn't make a rule then.

I am going to jump to the other side of the track now. There are people that say if the Busch Series were to have events that are not in conjunction with Nextel Cup then the Cup drivers would not dominate. I think this weekend proves that they are going to race. I think the crowd, or lack of, proves that the Busch Series needs to just keep going like it is. It is very fortunate to ride the waves that the Nextel Cup Series produces. Yes, a Cup driver still finished 1-2 but their owners are going to find a way to race in as many of NASCAR's series no matter what the rules are or when the races take place. More than likely, if you are a team owner or driver in the Busch Series you know things are not going to change. There will always be the ones that think that NASCAR should change the rules, but like in 2000, it is just for our own selfish reasons.

The ARCA race also took place on Saturday. I have to admit that it was one of the few times in the last year or so that I really wanted to be on the track. I was able to spot for Tim Andrews. He ran a good race and probably should have finish in the top 3 had he not gotten a penalty on pit road. The penalty was for not using the access road leaving the pits. Part of that was my fault for not discussing that before the race went green. You have to know and discuss the rules so everyone gets a few reminders. He was probably overly excited because his crew had done an excellent job and got him off pit road in first or second. In the end he finished sixth. For no more than he has had a chance to race this year that was a great finish. It really was fun spotting for someone that was appreciating every lap he was running whether it was in practice, qualifying, or the race. I am sure being in good equipment was part of his excitement. Listening to Paul Andrews on the radio with Tim was also a good experience. I really felt like I learned some things by listening to the way he was talking and thinking through any changes they were making to the car. I hope Tim will have a chance to race more this year.

No matter how big or small the crowd is I still enjoy the Nashville Superspeedway. It is not the best racing in the world but it is a neat track. There has always been a lot of interest for racing around that area and I am sure there always will be. Maybe the crowd was down because of the cold weather or because of it being Easter weekend. I just happen to like the area and the track no matter which side of it I am on.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure would like to invite you out to the track. For information please check out our website at http://www.racingadventure.com/ or call 888-GO-RACE-1 for a schedule of dates and tracks.

Bristol Thoughts

2007-03-27T10:30:00.000-04:00

There are certain things that just hit me wrong and last night as I was watching Inside Nextel Cup Racing one of these occurrences happened. I watch this show most every Monday or if I don't catch it on Monday I just Tivo it and watch it later in the week. Most of the time it just gives me a chance to see some of the things I might have missed or see what some of the expert's opinions are on certain situations during the race.

This week I wanted to pay extra close attention, for obvious reasons. We were involved in an accident that, in my opinion, happened way too early in the race. So, the experts are reviewing the race and as they get to the point of discussing this wreck I was really discouraged at the way the show was edited at that point. Of course they show the wreck and as I saw it neither DJ or Kenseth gave too much space to one another, but what do I know. This was one of those wrecks that Kenseth fans think he was right and DJ fans thinks he was right. That wasn't even the part that bothered me. The part that got to me was when the show immediately went to Kenseth's in car communications. It was the same chatter every driver would have. Kenseth questioned if DJ had a spotter and Kenseth's spotter replied that DJ probably didn't know someone was under him. Come on Kenseth and Bob, you both have been around this sport for a long time. You know I told him Kenseth was there. From the roof that is all I can do. If I could drive as good as those guys I wouldn't be on the roof. My point is that all I can do is tell him what I see and I told him that a car was inside. Now, it is up to them as the drivers to decide who they want to work with or work against. For some reason, those two do not like to give and take with one another.

It just hit me the wrong way. I am sure I was more responsive to the situation since they only played audio from one side of the crash. Let me just put it this way. The two driving the cars are ultimately responsible for what happens out on the track. I am sure Kenseth thought he was faster but I am also sure that DJ was faster than the car in front of him. We all know the end result. I am just glad dad was not injured.

The start of the race had a different feel this week anyway. I think it was because there was a little extra talk on our radio. With Bristol you need the least amount of people on the radio as anywhere. There is such little time to tell the driver what I am seeing that more voices on the radio make it more confusing. DJ always lets me know if he needs to hear more or less information. We also talked on Saturday and clarified some possible issues. He knows what is going on around him so if he has something to tell me he will let me know. That is one of the best things about spotting for a champion. I don't think his issues had anything to do with a spotter.

There are a lot of races left this year. Drivers don't forget who gives them a break.

First 500 from the Roof

2007-02-18T21:51:00.000-05:00

Today was the first Daytona 500 that I have spotted for. I am really glad that I landed back with my dad and his new venture with MWR, UPS, and Toyota. Although they did not have a great finish they should be satisfied with their efforts. I know it is big business and that results are the main thing that counts but I believe that communication kept getting better leading up to the 500. Even with the testing and all of the off season phone calls and shop meetings it takes a race to really gain on communication between driver and team. Today they did what they needed to do to get on with their season.

It really helps to have the smartest driver out there. Sure, some say that hanging back until the end is not racing but it sure was nice to see that they will have a car they can work on and bring back an improved version for the July race at Daytona. I saw a lot of examples that prove to me that it doesn't matter where you are running on lap 20 or lap 175. There were guys that made it from 20th or worse up to the top ten for in the final 3 laps (David Stremme). Another example came earlier in the race when the 44 car passed 11 cars in 13 laps during an impressive green flag run. The caution comes out and that stat means nothing. My point is that DJ runs the races at Daytona and Talladega the way that works for him. He also knows that after the first five races he needs to be in the top 35 in points. There were a lot of factors in the race today that I am sure he was factoring in so he could be in a better position for the weeks to come.

The race was disappointing for me for a different reason. First, I was really excited to spot for my first Daytona 500. I had two plate races under my belt from last year so I thought I was going to be ready of any situation. But, for some reason I could not get my timing right between dad and myself. Daytona and Talladega are the tracks that you need to really be on top of things and especially anticipating what is going to happen from behind you. I did a bad job of anticipation during this race. We even talked about it yesterday and I thought I was on the same page with what he wanted to hear when guys were making a run on him. Although we did stay out of the wrecks, I should have done a better job helping him in the draft. I will talk to him some more about it and make the adjustments for the rest of the season.

I don't get to see everything that goes on during the race but there were a few drivers that I want to mention for having a good race. David Ragan comes to mind first and probably because I raced with him in ARCA but he finish 6th in his first 500. I hope his success continues. Mike Wallace is another one. Why he doesn't have a full time Nextel Cup ride is beyond me. David Stremme had a strong car all week and finished his Speedweeks off with a nice top ten. Mark Martin has put himself in a great position and I would not be surprised to see him complete the entire season if the first five or six races go as well as Daytona. Montoya. I think I am just a fan of his but he keeps impressing every time he takes the track. I am sure there were many others that I will see when I go home and watch the race but these are the ones that stick out in my mind for now.

Well, another Speedweeks has come and gone. It has been a long 11 days but I am glad that I was able to participate by being a spotter. The season is long and I am ready to see what the 44 team can do for the remainder of the races. I did learn some great new stories from my grandfather this week. Man, how times have changed. He has been here every year sine 1959 and still has fun when he shows up for the Daytona 500.

Please visit the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure website at www.racingadventure.com. Come out and join us for a day of fun driving a Nextel Cup car on some of the most famous speedways in the world. Call 888-GO-RACE-1 for more information on how you can sign up today.

Dale Jarrett 14th in Daytona Testing Session

2007-01-14T17:09:00.000-05:00

Full Throttle Living
Jason A. Jarrett

It appears that the UPS Toyota is getting off to a pretty good start. I know that not all of the teams show everything they have in testing but they all want to win the Daytona 500. The way DJ races at Daytona I think 14th is a pretty good start considering it is a new team, new manufacturer, and I am sure there are some new rules. So, all things considered things appear to be “moving forward” for DJ.

The following was sent courtesy of Michael Waltrip Racing:

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series testing resumed at Daytona International Speedway this morning and Dale Jarrett, driver of the No. 44 UPS TOYOTA Camry, continued to be impressive at the 2.5-mile tri-oval.

Jarrett posted the 14th fastest lap once again in the morning session at 49.101-seconds at a speed of 183.296. The lap was faster than his 49.284-second time from yesterday’s session. The No. 44B out of the Michael Waltrip Racing stable was the fastest TOYOTA Camry this morning.

This is the first test for DJ this year as he has been recovering from off season surgery to his hand. He has had some time to heal, not to mention, he is a tough guy anyway so I don’t expect this to have any effect on the testing.

With testing starting this has been an exciting week for the NASCAR world but I want to take a moment to mention that my thoughts are with the Bobby Hamilton family. I know this must be devastating to Bobby Jr. and the rest of their family.

I also want to send my thoughts to Benny Parsons as he is battling cancer. From Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure we want to wish you the best.

Marshall Movie

2006-12-27T12:46:00.000-05:00

I go to the movies about once a week but last night was the first time I have been this month. There has been a lot of orders to take and process at Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure this month so that has cut into my "movie night." I probably could have made it to the movies a few times but it seemed like every night that I wanted to go something else got in the way. Plus, I had to save a few nights for the dreaded Christmas shopping. Actually, the shopping was not too bad this year. Regardless of whether I go to the movies during the year, I always end up there sometime around the holidays. Last night was no exception and everyone else in Hickory was there as well.

The movie we decided on was, "We are Marshall." I had heard of it for a while now but I really did not know much about what happened and what angle the director would take. Right from the beginning I was impressed with how real the movie seemed. One of my favorite things is a movie about a true story. This one seemed to leave a lot of the "Hollywood" out and just stick to the storylines that happened during that tragic year in Huntington, WV.

On the surface, you might see a football movie but it is far from that. What I took away from this movie was the stories behind the people of this school and this town. The movie showed the different angles and ways that people were affected in their lives. It was very real to me. Not everyone deals with tragic situations the same way and the movie made this very easy to understand that.

It is hard to talk about a movie without giving too much away so I can tell you that if you are interested in knowing about a true story that affected many lives in a small town then this movie is well worth seeing. One of the main things I took from this movie is that you may hear people say, "winning is the only thing that matters." Well, the puts into perspective that you can be behind on the scoreboard and still be winners by sticking together as a team.

I will probably hit a few more movies in the next few weeks. There are several that I would like to see. The movies are a good place to sit back, relax, and get away for a couple of hours.

We are running an "upgrade" special at Dale Jarrett Racing adventure for anyone that has received a DJRA gift over the holidays. Call 1-888-GO-RACE-1 for more details. Ask for the "Full Throttle Living" discount and receive $44 off of any package worth $395 and above. Visit www.racingadventure.com for more information. Have a Happy New Year!

December Update

2006-12-13T11:10:00.000-05:00

Every December I loose touch with racing news. I did not even watch the banquet. There has been a lot going on with Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure so I have just been going in everyday and trying to make some sales. December is a huge month for the school. The only news I have even heard lately has been that Jimmy Johnson broke his wrist. Things like that happen but I guess being the Nextel Cup Champion makes that a big news story.

The most positive news I have heard is that Matt Borland is going to be dad's crew chief. I think the chemistry will be good and I like that both guys are coming in to a fresh situation after having tough seasons. The entire line up of crew chiefs over at MWR looks pretty good to me.

For me, I am still looking around for a spotting deal for next season. I would like to keep my foot in the door as a spotter. It was something that I enjoyed and could really relate to since I have driven before. Not to mention, I have had a few spotters as well. It is not much different than any other relationship within a team. The driver and the spotter must understand each other's lingo. That is probably why you see quite a few former drivers as spotters. There are also several pilots that are spotters. I guess I will know in the next month or so what I will be doing.

This time of year might seem quiet on the news front but I am certain that every team is working more hours than ever right now. New teams have to work on a little of everything and the established teams are hard at work on getting to the Daytona test in January. The sport has moved so fast that I probably don't even know what is going on. My guess is that most of the teams are set up to work on all aspects of the season all of the time.

Well, I am going back to the phones. I hope everyone has a good Christmas! Remember, there is still time to save your Christmas. Buy Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure gift certificates at www.racingadventure.com or by calling 888-GO-RACE-1.

Another November

2006-11-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

I am probably the only one or maybe one of a handful that did not want this racing season to end. There are plenty of people that were so glad that this season was over. I am not trying to make anyone that wanted it to end feel any different because in recent years I have felt the exact same way.

For one, I really enjoyed working with my dad. I have been to the races for many years and at one point even worked on the Busch Series team that he owned. For some reason this year was different. I can't even figure out what was different about it. But, for the first time I really felt like I was contributing and helping him out at the same time. Before, I was so worried about being a driver that maybe I let that get in the way. Spotting really felt natural to me so I feel like there was a connection there as well. I feel a little selfish for being happy about my year when the team and driver did not have a good year at all. Maybe it was the fact that I was still able to be involved in racing again. Don't get me wrong, I would love to be driving in the right situation but I also enjoy being a part of a team as well.

Feeling like you are part of the team is important and the people on the team towards the end of the year made me feel as much a part of the team as any other member. Butch was a good communicator and I enjoy working with people that also enjoy their jobs, even if the season is not going the way you want it to. He knew he had some challenges in front of him but he made everyone feel like they were a contributor.

All weekend I kept hearing from people how ready they were for the year to be over. I only listened to most but there were a few that I spoke up and said that I really did not want it to end. That is the way it is when you are having fun and doing something you enjoy. After the last few years I am starting to realize how important it is to do something that is enjoyable and not just busy work. This year just felt refreshing. I guess the only bad thing is that the people that gave me the opportunity did not have a very good year. Well, now that it is over they can go to work on getting their fresh starts.

Every November seems to be the same. Now that racing is over for the year I will begin the search once again. November gets here and I feel like I start all over again. What am I going to do in December and January? This November is going to be much of the same. I am looking at all options for 2007. I will concentrate on the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure for November and December but I really want to spot for a driver again next year. It is a lot like driving, once you get a little taste of it you want to continue to do it. This will be a busy time trying to secure something for next season and I hope to be able to contact my list of possibilities in the next few weeks and have something in place for Daytona. Again, this is a lot like when searching for a ride.

Although I do not know where I will surface in the racing scene again I will be searching around to find the right fit. I have made some good contacts this year by being at the track so I will work hard to get back there for next season. I might say that November is always a stressful month but I would not know how to operate any different after doing it this way for so many years.

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving! Enjoy the food and the football and we will be racing again before you know it.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure has some exciting things happening. We have just added Sebring Raceway to the schedule for 2007. Plus, the Talladega Superspeedway is on the schedule every month in 2007. Check us out at www.racingadventure.com or call 888-GO-RACE-1 for more information.

Tough Day in Phoenix

2006-11-13T13:22:00.000-05:00

I was really pumped up going into the race on Sunday at PIR. For about the last month I have felt that the chemistry has been working between the driver, crew chief, and spotter. We are the main three people on the radio and it has been working well. I remember when I was driving and when we could all get in synch, it usually made it easier to stay focused in the seat. I have also learned that experience is just as important from the spotter's stand as it is from the driver's seat. Fortunately, I was able to spot for Damon Lusk in the truck race and for Stanton Barrett in the Busch Series race. My thinking was that if I spotted for 150 laps on Friday night and 200 laps on Saturday then my best race should be on Sunday for the Cup race.

Each race seemed to have a totally different look. The truck race was filled with cautions but being at night, I did not feel like I could see as well as I could during the day. At some tracks, the night races are actually easier but I did not think this about PIR on Friday night. The NASCAR Busch Series race had its share of cautions but there everyone was spread out a little more. PIR is a hard place to pass so even if you were a little faster than someone you might have to work quite a few laps to make the pass.

Once Sunday got here I was excited and ready to work. I thought with the experience from the days before that I was ready. Maybe I was too pumped up because I do not feel like I did a very good job on Sunday. The 88 car was really good on long runs but it would not go at the beginning of a run. He just could not go on restarts. I even asked at one point if I could do anything different to help on the restarts. Normally, I would just let him tell me but the reason that I felt like it might be something I could tell him is because on some of the restarts, the low lane would go and on others, the top lane would go. DJ said everything was good so I just kept an eye out for anything in front of him.

This week there was another series of events that just made the day get long for the crew. On one of the cautions the car directly in front of him blew an engine and put oil on the windshield. He had to stop and get a tear off pulled so he could see. Next, there was a crash in turn one that I was able to see and help him avoid. The only damage in this one was some flat spotted tires when he spun avoiding this accident. He had it missed but he said there might have been too much rear brake in the car. The third and final event happened down in the middle of turns 3 and 4. I still have not seen a replay but here is what I saw: The cars directly in front of the 88 got together and as one of the cars spun back up the race track we were pinched between that car and the wall. The 88 slammed the wall hard and was not able to continue.

This is the second time this year that a crash has happened directly in front of him. I am not sure what I could have said but I feel like I missed a call. Even my buddy asked me on the way home, "why did you not tell him to go low?" I don't have a real good answer other than when something happens right in front of you it is not the same as something happening 10 or 12 cars in front of you. My reaction time must have been off yesterday. I really don't know!

This is similar to what happened to McMurray at Atlanta. Maybe I should go back and watch that race again to see what his spotter was saying when Gordon was slowing in front of him. I think anytime your car wrecks you feel like there is something that you could have done different but I know from being in the seat that you don't have much time to react.

Well, we will pick up and move to Homestead-Miami Speedway where there will be a ton of action. All three of NASCAR's Champions will be crowned this weekend. There will be plenty of action with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series title and the Nextel Cup Series title to be determined in their final race of the season.

It is hard to believe that we are just around the corner from the holidays again. The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure (www.racingadventure.com) is now offering a holiday special of $44 off of all packages. This is a limited time offer so call 888-GO-RACE-1 to place your order. You can find pricing and ordering information at www.racingadventure.com.

DJ Drives to Front

2006-10-31T10:11:00.000-05:00

The Atlanta Motor Speedway has always been a good track for Dale. Only he knows what it is that fits his style. I think he does great on tracks that you can race the race track. What I mean by that is you have different grooves to find during the course of the race. You also have a lot of room in Atlanta to move the car around and find what is comfortable for the car and driver. Being able to move around on the track also gets you out of some of the dirty air the other cars create. He and the UPS team had a solid run.

It was impressive from the spotter's stand to watch dad come through the field. Early in the race he had a pit road speeding penalty but was able to drive to around fifteenth. The early part of the race went caution free so the leaders were able to put a lot of cars a lap down. Luckily, the 88 was able to get the "free pass" on one of the early cautions. This is when it got impressive from my view. He had to start at the end of the longest line (that is the rule if you are the "lucky dog.") on the restart but he did not stay there long. After a few laps his car would come to him and he would start picking the cars off in front of him. He has always been good at saving tires and equipment so I think that helps him at AMS as well. He drove from the back to eight place by the end of this run.

I thought he was going to make it to the top 5 but as the sun started going down the track was changing and the car seemed to get a little too loose. He was still not bad but he leveled off around 12th or thirteenth.

I think the car and driver were still good enough to make it into the top ten but a late accident would spoil those hopes. The last ten laps had to be spent just making it to the end. There was a multiple car accident in turn one that damaged the car. If there would have been more than ten laps left the good run would have been over. The UPS Ford Fusion finished 11th.

The team is doing a good job. It is nice to see that everyone is still working towards getting into the top 20 to finish out the season.

After the race was over I was able to go with dad to watch the Panthers and Cowboys play Sunday night football. I am a Cowboy's fan so the day just kept getting better for me. I know Carolina needed a win but I have always been a Dallas fan and always will be. I will pull for Carolina on any other week.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure visits the Talladega Superspeedway again this weekend and next weekend. There are still spots available for November 11 and 12. Call 888-GO-RACE-1 or visit www.racingadventure.com to book your spot now. The holidays are coming fast!

Washed Out at AMS

2006-10-27T15:58:00.000-04:00

The rain has been coming down all day. The teams are still hard at work getting their cars through the inspection process but they will not see any on track activity today. Qualifying has been cancelled and the cars will start Sunday’s race according to the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rule book (car owner’s points). Everyone was talking about the rain last night so it was no surprise to anyone. The weather looks good for the rest of the weekend.

The teams still have to work on their cars but I am sure that it makes it a little more laid back when they know that the weather is going to keep them off the track for the day. For the most part the teams have their cars ready when they get to the tracks. On Fridays they go through the NASCAR inspection area to be approved for on track activity. Tomorrow they will hit the garage area running.

I am going to be spotting for Damon Lusk in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race tomorrow. It will give me some good practice for Sunday. This will be Damon’s second start in the #25 Woodard Racing truck this season. I remember Damon always ran well in the ARCA/ReMax Series at AMS. He has enough experience to give his truck a good run here this weekend.

The NASCAR Busch Series is at Memphis Motorsports Park this weekend. It will be interesting to see if the weather affects any of the Cup guy’s plans on traveling back and forth. They probably got out of Atlanta this morning.

The races at AMS always seem to be exciting at the end. I am sure this weekend will be more of the same great finishes we have seen here in the past.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure (www.racingadventure.com) is having a 2 day retail event at the Kansas Speedway this weekend (October 28 and 29). I hope the weather will allow everyone that has signed up to go out and have a great time. The 2007 schedule is now posted online. Get your gift certificate today! Call 888-GO-RACE-1 or visit www.racingadventure.com to place your order. Mention this blog and receive a 5% discount.

Martinsville Survival

2006-10-23T17:10:00.000-04:00

DJ survived yesterday at Martinsville Speedway. There is not much more to say about his day but I will give you an idea of everything that the UPS team had to endure on the weekend.

Friday was the most uneventful day: Practice for 90 minutes and qualify. Well the practice did not go bad but the speed just was not there. The car was not far off but it only takes being off about a tenth of a second at Martinsville to drop you about 10 spots. That is not exact but it is close, just to give you an idea of how close and competitive it is. They drew an early number for qualifying and that probably hurt as they qualified in the back of the pack. Once qualifying was over the weekend got interesting.

In Saturday’s practice sessions the emotions tipped both ends of the scales. During the first one hour session, the UPS Ford Fusion posted a speed in the top 5. I felt good about the car at that point, but I am just the spotter. What do I know? The second and final practice was not near as kind. The car did not seem to run as well from the beginning of the final session. The racing business has a way of slowing you down just when you think things are going your way. About halfway through this final practice the car’s brakes started fading and in turn one caused DJ to loose control going into turn three and just brushed the wall with the left front corner. The damage was minimal but it takes a time and effort that you would spend on getting the set up better to fix the cosmetic damage. The team had to immediately work on fixing the damage. Practice was over.

I don’t know where to begin for the race but Sunday was probably the busiest day I have had as a spotter. This is the condensed version. The car was making good progress and staying on the lead lap when an accident occurred going into turn 3. The UPS car was caught up in what appeared to be a famous Martinsville chain reaction wreck. He was about the fifth or sixth car in line and probably got the worst of it. Heck, I might not have caught it in time for him to get stopped. That is what he thought. He asked me to pay attention on the restarts and he would take care of the cars around him. I thought I was watching ahead but I will say things seemed to work better after making the adjustment he wanted made. The car was damaged enough that they lost one lap while making repairs. The crew did a great job of keep their composure and getting the car back in competitive form. He was involved in another accident a short time later that I know Ken Schrader got the worst end of. The 06 car just made a bad choice and got into him damaging the 21, 88, and 06. This accident took some timely cautions and organized pit work to keep from going more laps down, but they stayed on top of it and actually got the lap back. The end result was a hard fought 16th place finish.

It was a rough day for DJ and many others but it is Martinsville. A tight little half mile that has had the same things going on for many years: torn up cars, hurt feelings, and survival.

With the holidays coming up visit www.racingadventure.com to purchase a gift certificate or buy some laps for dad. Log on or call 888-GO-RACE-1 for more details. Mention that you read this blog and get 5% off of your purchase.

Homestead Testing

2006-10-21T16:00:00.000-04:00

I spent last Monday and Tuesday at the open test for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Testing generally is boring but it can pay huge dividends for the teams.

It has been a year since I have driven a race car but after watching and spotting for the testing at Homestead it feels like it has been 5 years. It seems like everything has changed. The NASCAR testing rules have changed, the tire rules have changed, and the cars have changed. The set ups of the cars are much different now and the technology (data acquisition) is on every car. I was only able to use data acquisition in a couple of times in my driving career.

Being the spotter at the test is the same as the race: I just try to keep the driver in safe positions as all of the teams work on their cars. It is pretty boring but I made the most of it by timing as many of the cars and recording the times so I could learn which cars were better than others.

Testing is a different beast. Everyone is on their on agenda. Some teams are testing for long runs and others are making qualifying runs. There is not much action that you can actually see during testing but you can bet that teams are paying attention to what other teams are trying.

The Homestead test was the last NASCAR scheduled test for the 2006 season. Teams will continue to test at places that do not hold NASCAR Nextel Cup Series races.

Thanks for stopping by to read the “Full Throttle Living” blog.

The Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure (www.racingadventure.com) can put you in the driver’s seat. Visit our website or call 888-GO-RACE-1 to see our schedule, tracks, and pricing information.

You can also send an email to jason@jasonjarrett.com and request information.

Short Night for DJ

2006-10-17T10:47:00.001-04:00

Saturday night at Lowe's Motor Speedway things turned bad early for DJ and the UPS Ford Fusion team. After avoiding a lap one crash involving several cars things only got worse. The car was running good and in normal DJ fashion he was taking his time picking through traffic. There was an early incident on pit road with the 41 car. Reed was leaving his pits and DJ was entering his and they collided. There was minimal or no damage to the 88. Not too many laps after the pit road incident the 41 got into the back of the 88 in between turns 3 and 4. There was much more damage this time. The 88 was spun around and put out of the race for the rest of the night. It was only lap 34!

It was a tough year at Lowe's for DJ. He did not even complete a lap in the 600 mile race and this one he only made it 34 laps. Lowe's, When it was call Charlotte Motor Speedway, used to be a place that was on the top of the list for him.

I am sure they will deal with each other in a professional manner and they will move on.

The RYR team had been gaining momentum in the last several weeks. I know it probably took a little out of them but they will recover and pick back up at Martinsville.

Thanks for reading my blog. Visit our website (www.racingadventure.com) for details on how you can experience "Full Throttle Living." You can join us at some of the most popular tracks on the NASCAR Nextel Cup Circuit.