Column: A career that's tops in class

            CONCORD - Nary a wrong move. That's the story of Dale Jarrett's career, which ended in the Sprint All-Star Race on Saturday night.

            The Hickory resident is 51. His most recent victory occurred in 2005. He's stepping into the television booth - already has, actually - with his reputation intact. It's the right time.

            Perhaps most significant to the 1999 Winston Cup champion, winner of 32 races, is the respect he carries among his peers. There have been times when Jarrett has been prickly. Anger flashed a few times on the track. Those rare moments just made him human.

            Unlike many of his peers - Mark Martin, Bill Elliott, Terry Labonte - Jarrett is determined to make a clean break. This was it. He ended his all-star career in an all-star race.

"I hate to use the word never, but I have no plans whatsoever of getting back in a car," said Jarrett, "and I can't even come up with a scenario. ... No, I'm not getting back in. That's my plan right now, and I just don't see anything changing that. I've told this to my family, and I've told it to the fans.  I think whenever you tell them things like this, that you need to hold to that."

            Most will miss him.

"He's a really, really fine man and a really great person from a really good family," said Martin.

            Really.

"He's one of my favorites as a driver, as a person, and I've had the opportunity to race hard against him, race for championships against him, and in my opinion he stacks up there with the all-time best," said Jeff Gordon.

            Jarrett has always been conscious of his image. At times, he's been rankled by a reporter's words, but he's never broken off relations. There's perspective - perhaps the perspective of the son of a racer turned broadcaster - that others lack, and even some evidence that there's more to a writer words than his most recent words.

"I will say just one thing," said Jarrett in a valedictory press conference. "It's been a long time, and I appreciate the way that all of you have treated me very fairly. I can't say that you've always written good things, but that's not your job. Your job is to write what you think and report.

"You've been extremely fair to me, and I appreciate that and it means a lot.  Thank you. You do a lot of good things for the sport. I really do appreciate it, and it's been great."

            Not a bad way to go out, huh?

            You can reach Monte Dutton at mdutton@gastongazette.com.