DARLINGTON, S.C.: The Southern 500 has become a homecoming of sorts for the sport of NASCAR.
But last Saturday night’s celebration in Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway featured a fourth-generation winning team with a third-generation racer-turned-spotter and a second-generation driver.
As the Wood Brothers celebrated their 100th win with first-time victor Harrison Burton, the processional of well-wishers flooded into the gated area.
For Jason Jarrett, Burton’s eyes in the sky atop the spotters’ stand, sharing the experience with his father Dale Jarrett was priceless.
“I look back at the first of the year when I got hired to do this job,” Jarrett said. “It’s probably the most excited I was in a long time because it was the Wood Brothers
“And now to be part of the 100th win at Daytona, Harrison’s first win at Daytona, and to top that off, I got to see my dad in Victory Lane. He came down to congratulate Harrison and the team. That topped it off.”
Thirty-one years earlier, his grandfather, Ned Jarrett—a two-time Cup champion—was working the booth for CBS and called Dale’s first Daytona 500 win.
At 17, and an aspiring racer himself, Jason remembers what the Jarrett family considers to be its’ crowning moment in the sport. Despite Ned, 91, and Dale, 67, both winning titles and being inducted in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the father-son experience was the pinnacle.
Dale was in his second season driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, which had opened its doors one year earlier. In 1991, Jarrett scored his first career winning the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Ford. That was the Wood Brother’s 95th win.
On Saturday night, although Jeff Burton didn’t call Harrison’s final lap, he was in the booth offering analysis for NBC before leaving to celebrate with his son. Dale Jarrett was part of the broadcasting team as well.
The similarities are not lost on Jason Jarrett.
“Even on Wednesday after the race, I still can’t wrap my mind around some of it,” Jarrett said. “It’s still some of those small, intricate stories. They’re still kind of coming together in my mind, from remembering when Dad drove for The Wood Brothers and all the different paths. People like Jon (Wood, president of WBR), that I’ve known since I was younger.
“It’s just so weird how it all came together with Wood Brothers, the Burtons, the Jarrett, Penske. It still feels like a dream sometimes.”
Burton was—and still is—24th in the Cup standings entering Daytona. His final season with the Wood Brothers has not gone to plan, particularly with three crashes marring his results in the six races leading up to last weekend. The win, and ultimately a Playoff berth, has been cathartic for the driver and the team.
Burton appreciates the team’s accomplishment because it was so difficult to obtain. And he’s grateful to have Jarrett guide his way.
“Jason is a guy that is really hard on himself as a spotter,” Burton said. “We’re in the meeting on Monday doing our regular debrief—except it’s a little more fun this time. But Jason’s saying, “I think I could have done this and this and this better.’ And I said, ‘Just stop. Dude, you just won the race.’
“But he’s driven to be better. He’s pushing himself a lot all the time. I’m excited for him. The way he handles himself fits in with our team so well.
“He’s definitely a Jarrett. You can tell by the way he talks on the radio. It sounds like Dale Jarrett is spotting for me—which is pretty funny. But it’s really, really cool to have the Jarrett’s, the Burton’s, the Woods’ and all of the people that have touched this car all the way down from 1950 is pretty cool.”
Burton admits tears of joy flowed after the win. He wasn’t alone. His father witnessed fans crying in the stands on his way down to the infield. Even on Monday, talk radio callers were verklempt at witnessing the Wood Brothers claim their 100th win over eight different decades.
“It’s amazing to hear the amount of people that have called me or texted me and their appreciation for what the Wood Brothers have done over the last 74 years—coming up on 75 years,” Jarrett said.
“Not only that, I think a couple of them even mentioned the emotions that Harrison had as he was still on the radio after taking the checkered flag. It had been a tough year and he was able to put all that behind him and go take the checkered flag with Kyle Busch behind him.
“For all those emotions that come out at that moment, I think it made us all get emotional.”
Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].
