Jarrett sticks with his plan: Tonight will be his final ride

CONCORD, N.C.

Dale Jarrett admits his feelings grow stronger as he heads toward his final NASCAR Sprint Cup start in tonight's all-star race.

Although he hasn't raced since March, there was always this last night to race before a 24-year career ends. After tonight, he'll focus on his duties for ESPN.

And the 51-year-old former champion doesn't plan to come back even though he's received calls from other owners.

"I've told this to my family and I've told it to the fans and I think that whenever you tell them things like this, you need to hold to that," Jarrett said of his decision to retire.

The son of a series champion, Jarrett didn't win his first Cup race until 1991. His next victory came in the 1993 Daytona 500, starting a streak of 11 consecutive seasons with at least one series win.

He finishes with 32 series victories, including three Daytona 500s, and a series title.

"When somebody says who's the best 20 drivers you never hear his name, and I don't think that's fair," Jeff Burton said. "It took Dale longer to have success for one reason or another.

"He had to go earn it. "

To Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jarrett is about more than victories. Jarrett helped make Earnhardt's 2001 July Daytona victory - NASCAR's first race there since Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s death - even more special.

"I had won and we were standing down in the motor home lot, it was one or two in the morning," Earnhardt Jr. said. "We had a circle of us all drinking beer, about 20 of us. I looked around and I knew everybody, it was mostly team members and some friends of mine in town, and I looked to my right and standing next to me was Dale Jarrett.

"I asked him what he was still doing there. He said 'I wouldn't miss this. That was the coolest thing I have ever seen you do.' That was just, I don't know, it showed me a lot about his character right there."

Jarrett said when he looks back at moments like those, he considers himself fortunate. That will make tonight tougher when he climbs into his car for a final time.

"It's the right thing to do," Jarrett said. "It's just difficult in knowing that when I get out of the car Saturday night that that's the last time I will ever compete at this level. You can do a lot of fun things... but nothing will ever match the kind of excitement that you get from driving the race car and being able to compete at this level. It's tough... but it's the right decision."

On the pole: Kyle Busch won the pole for tonight's all-star race, beating second-place Jeff Gordon by half a second. Each driver had to complete a pit stop and three laps. Kurt Busch, Martin Truex Jr. and Greg Biffle complete the top five.

Jimmie Johnson will start 21st after his time was disallowed for an infraction on his pit stop. The field will expand to 24 cars with the top two from the Sprint Showdown and the fan vote winner advancing to the all-star race.

Busch's new car: Kyle Busch says he's working on testing a Formula One car after this season. He plans to take a Cup car to Japan to drive in an exhibition and he wants to test an F1 car at the same time for Toyota.

Crafton gets first victory: Matt Crafton held off Chad McCumbee for two laps after an overtime restart to win the Craftsman Truck Series race Friday at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

It was Crafton's first career victory.

Contract updates: Greg Biffle reaffirms that he plans to be back with Roush Fenway Racing after speculation this week that he might replace Tony Stewart if he left Joe Gibbs Racing.

"I doubt very seriously that I'll end up someplace other than Roush," Biffle said.

Also, Bobby Labonte said he's about two or three weeks away from announcing his plans. He's expected to remain with the team.

Pit stops: Car owner Richard Childress was inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday.... Clint Bowyer, on if he'll drive any differently in tonight's race: "It's a million to win," he said. "That's a lot of cash."