NASCAR Cup

Martinsville: Jarrett - Ford interview

Dale Jarrett, driver of the No. 88 UPS Taurus, was involved in an incident with Shane Hmiel during the NASCAR Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway Monday afternoon. Jarrett spoke about the incident Friday morning before Nextel Cup ...

Published: Apr 9, 2005, 8:45 PM

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Dale Jarrett, driver of the No. 88 UPS Taurus, was involved in an incident with Shane Hmiel during the NASCAR Busch Series race at Bristol Motor Speedway Monday afternoon. Jarrett spoke about the incident Friday morning before Nextel Cup practice at Martinsville Speedway.

DALE JARRETT - No. 88 UPS Taurus

YOU'VE HAD A FEW DAYS TO REFLECT BACK ON WHAT HAPPENED MONDAY. WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS TODAY? "My thoughts haven't changed. The reason there was a red flag and the reason I went to Shane's car was to ask him where he thought he was going. I was in a three-wide situation trying to dig as hard as he was. There was a lapped car on the outside, Jon Wood got loose, and I went underneath him. When I got underneath him then I got hit and hit again and turned. I just didn't understand his impatience at that time, and I think that's something all of us have had to learn over the years. We probably all have gotten a talking to from somebody at some point in time. I know I've had mine when I first came into this sport. I didn't go to create a fight and I certainly didn't go to create a situation that would actually be harmful to Shane. I hate that he's lost points and I hate that he got the fine. That wasn't what any of it was intentioned to do. It certainly wasn't to go fight. I've heard him say that I threatened him. I didn't threaten him. My comments were to him that it would cost him and, obviously, it has cost him. It wasn't a cost in a way that I was gonna do anything back to him because that's not gonna solve any problems for anybody. It's not my duty to make sure that everybody out here understands patience and tell everybody how to drive, but I think in a situation like that it could have been more of a helpful situation. But he obviously took it the wrong way. It's unfortunate that these things happen, but they do happen. It's over with and done and there's nothing any of us can do about it other than take something from it in a positive way and learn from it. I hope that he goes on and has a lot of success. He has a lot of talent. He just needs to get the temperament to go along with that talent."

IS THERE A RESPECT ISSUE WITH THE YOUNGER DRIVERS WHEN IT COMES TO THE VETERANS? "When I was coming along, if we went to the veteran drivers it was for advice and because we looked up to them. I'm not sure that's the case this day and time. A lot of them come in and a lot of it is because of today's society. You can't put it all on them, but it's kind of the way things are now. They come in with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder thinking that's the way that they have to be - that they can't let anybody think they're not on the same level as what they are - no matter what anybody may have accomplished or what they may have done. They need everyone to feel that they're on the same level, so I think there's a little lack of respect, but it's not just in this garage area or not just within auto racing. It's in our society period."

IS IT A FINE LINE THOUGH FOR YOUNG DRIVERS TO SHOW AGGRESSIVENESS ON THE TRACK BUT STILL SHOW RESPECT? "Yeah, it's a fine line. I'll say this about Shane, he wasn't the only one that was a little more than over-aggressive during that time. There was another driver or two that I saw and actually got a bump from that I was a little disappointed in at that time. Anybody can go out and knock somebody out of the way. To me, racing has always been about working and trying to outmaneuver and make that pass on someone. So there's a fine line there as to what's aggressive and what isn't."

-ford racing-

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