Conversation with Dale Jarrett on Nascar.com

Dale Jarrett tried to blend into a pack of reporters huddled around Nextel Cup points leader Jimmie Johnson last weekend at Pocono Raceway. He looked the part, sort of, with his pen and pad. But the brown and white UPS uniform gave him away when Johnson turned to answer his question. Dale Jarrett had a string at RYR of six consecutive years finishing in the top five in points. Jarrett may be headed for one of his worst seasons in Nextel Cup -- he's 25th in points after Sunday's race -- but that doesn't prevent him from having a little fun at the track.

He recently talked about everything from the frustration of not being a contender to his move from Robert Yates Racing to Toyota-based Michael Waltrip Racing in 2007.

Q: So what's this roller coaster of a year been like for you?

Jarrett: We just haven't performed. That's the key. We just haven't found what it takes. It's not from a lack of effort. We've worked extremely hard. We're just working in the wrong areas, apparently. At the beginning of the year we kind of were in that 10th to 15th range. But as teams continued to get better we regressed a little bit. It really is showing up right now. We just don't perform. We don't have that magic that it takes. We know we have good engines, so it's not that. Is it a combination of aero and chassis and the setups there? Yes, it's probably a combination of that. We haven't been able to put that combination together. A lot of hard work and effort, a lot of money spent. We just haven't hit on it and it's very frustrating for everybody here.

Q: Is this the best market to be a driver with Toyota entering the sport and many teams making changes?

Jarrett: There are certainly opportunities out there for a driver to get an opportunity in good racecars. I'd have to say it's a pretty good time if you're out looking.

Q: Best you've seen in a while?

Jarrett: That's hard to say. Certainly, quality teams. Yes, probably the best that there's ever been as far as getting in a good seat.

Q: What do you think of Stephen Leicht, a candidate to drive one of the Robert Yates Racing cars in 2007?

Jarrett: He has a lot of talent. Obviously, it would be a steep learning curve for him. He's getting some opportunities here and the times I've been around him and watched him he handles himself very well. He has a lot of talent for a 19-year-old who hasn't been in these kinds of cars very long.

Q: Do you coast the rest of the season, or do you try to get the No. 88 team to where it can win immediately next year?

Jarrett: I want to leave it in good shape. That's my goal, and always has been, whether it was going to be when I retired or when I leave. I want this to be a good race team that is solidly on its feet, and all it needs is a driver to step in and take over and good things will happen. Right now our goal has to be getting back to being a top-10 team before we can think about winning. If we won right now, other than a restrictor-plate track, it would be pretty much a fluke. We're not close enough to talk about winning. We have to get back to respectability and a consistency on a weekly basis.

Q: Your teammate Elliott Sadler said one reason he asked for his release from RYR is he and owner Robert Yates had different visions for the future of the company. Do you understand what he's saying?

Jarrett: I can't speak for Elliott. In my case, I just feel that this sport is becoming a real engineering sport. Even though the staff of engineers we have on board are very good, we're at a disadvantage because we're small in numbers. A two-car team now is almost like what a single-car team used to be not long ago. Those three-, four- and five-car teams have the extra dollars to add manpower. Most of that manpower is in the engineering staff. We talked about this for a couple of years, but we haven't headed in that direction here for some reason.

Q: Do you see Robert Yates Racing surviving?

Jarrett: I can't imagine them not surviving and running good again. All of this takes time. Richard Childress Racing is a perfect example. After the death of Dale Earnhardt it took a lot out of them. They didn't have that guidance and leadership that Dale provided for them.
Jeff Burton has helped that team tremendously, and a lot of their engineering staff has helped tremendously. Robert and [the people at RYR] are looking at a couple of years of solid hard work, but they'll be back. They'll eventually see all the things and put all the pieces together that they need to do.

Q: Has this sport passed Robert Yates by?

Jarrett: Robert is a very smart man. But, things do change. And you have to be willing to make that change sometimes regardless of what you believe in. What we haven't had is someone in the organization to stand up and say, "Hey, this is what we absolutely, positively have to do."
You can't blame Robert because no one has totally convinced him of that. Even though he sees it, we haven't made that total commitment. We've gotten kind of on the fence. We just haven't gotten up on top of it.

Q: Can you succeed without 20 engineers?

Jarrett: I'd say 20 is a really good number. As I talk to people of other organizations, that seems to be a really common number. Fifteen on the low number. They have projects going all the time. Whether we want it to or not, that's the direction the sport has taken a turn for. You have to get like that if you want to compete.

Q: How many engineers are there at RYR?

Jarrett: We're looking at about six from our staff. That's from two Cup cars and a Busch car.

Q: Doesn't Ford send down engineers?

Jarrett: They came for a week or two, but I haven't seen them since then to be quite honest. I know they're there and you probably can pick up the phone and call them. But it hasn't been just, "Here's the engineers, you take them to work.''

Q: What do you think about possibly having Jeremy Mayfield as a teammate with Michael Waltrip Racing?

Jarrett: That's Michael's job to figure out. But Jeremy is another good, young talent that would bring a lot to Michael Waltrip Racing, hopefully.

Q: How long do you think it will take for your new team at Toyota to become competitive?

Jarrett: Hopefully by Daytona. A lot of work is being done as we speak. Obviously, the engine is a big thing. I know they're working very hard on that. I'm sure in the first 10 to 12 races there'll be some hit and miss situations. But [Michael will] hire good people. Things could be a lot better than just your normal start-up teams and new manufacturer.

Q: What's it been like for you to have to ride around the back of the pack a lot this season?

Jarrett: It sucks. I hate it. I'm a competitor. I want to compete. That doesn't mean competing for 35th to 40th. I want to see those guys up front on a regular basis, not when I'm trying to get a lap back.

Q: Is there a chance you won't finish the season in the No. 88?

Jarrett: Ain't going to be no changes made here. We have a sponsor and a driver. We committed to 2006 before this year ever started. I haven't broken any contracts. That's the whole thing about all of this bull---- going around here. I haven't broken any contracts. When I told them last August that I wanted to drive in 2007, everybody understood that's what I wanted to do. I didn't have a contract. I haven't broken anything. It was getting into April and May, and I needed to know what I was going to do for the next year. We have a commitment to the sponsor that goes through 2006. I have a driver contract to drive through 2006, and that's what's going to happen. If they want to do something with a third team, I fully understand that and hopefully it'll benefit all of us. What I decided in 2007 should never change 2006 in any way, shape or form. That's the way I've gone about it. I assume it's the way everybody on this race team and organization has gone about it, too.

Q: What are your plans for the off week?

Jarrett: Just hang out with the kids for a while. Take the week off and recharge the batteries and get ready to go at Indianapolis.

Q: Has the fun gone out of racing this year for you?

Jarrett: It hasn't been a lot of fun. The challenge is still there, but it hasn't been a lot of fun. I equate fun with success. Everybody is doing everything they can to make this team turn around. That's not a lot of fun. Everybody is a little on edge. You want to be that one that can make that difference and help.This is a difficult business at its best. Whenever it's not going well, it really becomes a challenge.

Q. What's the most frustrating part of the year for you?

Jarrett: Not winning. That's what it's about.

Q: How do you work your frustration out away from the track?

Jarrett: Beating a golf ball around. That's what's so hard right now, my hand won't let me play golf.