Weaned on racing

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Jason Jarrett was weaned on racing.

The son of former Sprint Cup champion Dale Jarrett knows all the stars in NASCAR and is familiar with each stop on the tour.

While he no longer drives, Jarrett still has a visible role in the family business.

At each Sprint Cup event, Jarrett is perched high above the track with 42 other spotters.

From the endless straightaways of Pocono to the high banks of Bristol, Jarrett serves as the eyes for David Stremme, driver of the No. 12 Penske Racing Dodge.

“I’m probably like every other former driver in that I kind of got mad at the racing world when I stopped driving,” Jarrett said. “But this job has helped me get over some of that.”

Following the path of his father and grandfather Ned, Jarrett made his stock car debut at famed Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. From 1997 to 2005, Jarrett made 40 NASCAR Nationwide and two Sprint Cup starts. Jarrett also won twice in 114 starts in the ARCA Series.

“I’m a little bit biased, but I think my experience in the driver’s seat gives me a little bit more value as a spotter than some of the other guys,” Jarrett said. “I can anticipate the situations the drivers are getting into, and I know what they are going through.”

Jarrett served a challenging apprenticeship as a spotter four years ago. In a modified version of the backseat driver scenario, Jarrett worked with his father Dale in Sprint Cup races for two seasons.

“That was an interesting start to being a spotter,” said Jarrett, who also worked with former Sprint Cup regular Scott Riggs. “When you work with your father, you tend to be a little more cautious with some of your calls. Things are a little more relaxing now with David.”

The interplay between drivers and spotters can range from volatile and comical to smooth and educational. No matter the track or the challenges, Jarrett said he sticks to the basics.

“Some of the situations we’ve been in have been tough,” Jarrett said. “David trusts what I tell him. Really, that’s all I need to be concerned with.”

Many of the pivotal decisions involving NASCAR races unfold far from the glare of the television cameras. Depending on the level of mutual trust, spotters share information on everything from drafting partners to pit strategy to problem areas on the track.

In addition to processing information from their driver and crew chief, spotters are also wired to NASCAR race director David Hoots.

“Having all those people in your ear keeps you busy,” Jarrett said. “Drivers like to know what guys they are racing around, and it just helps to communicate with the other spotters.”

Jeff Dickerson is perhaps the best known current spotter in the Sprint Cup ranks. Dickerson, who has both a forthright and humorous manner, serves as both the spotter and agent to Kyle Busch. While successful, Busch is known as one of the more demanding drivers in the sport.

Jarrett is one of several spotters who has experience as a NASCAR driver. That list includes David Green, Kevin Hamlin and Curtis Markham.

“It’s almost like drivers go to the spotters stand whey they retire or don’t have a sponsor anymore,” Jarrett said. “It’s hard to get a ride with the way the economy has been.”

Jarrett also spotted for Matt Carter in Friday’s Food City 250 Nationwide Series race. Throw in muliple Nationwide and Sprint Cup practice sessions Friday, and Jarrett will have had a full and tension-filled weekend.

“I don’t get too stressed,” Jarrett said. “Sometimes the travel gets a little old. I really do enjoy what I do, though.”

With the high speed, high banks and tight confines, Bristol Motor Speedway has long been a spotters nightmare. That headaches have lessened since the progressive banking was added in 2007 and the bumps were paved over. It still pays to remain vigilant.

“You definitely come away with a headache after concentrating for 500 laps at Bristol,” said Jarrett, who made three Nationwide starts at BMS as a driver. “Everything just happens so fast.

“The new configuration at Bristol has made things a little more predictable. You can treat it more like a big track now.”

Jarrett said it’s hard to adjust from the vast two-mile Michigan International Speedway to BMS in just one week.

“You definitely have to go into Bristol with a little different mindset than you do at Michigan,” Jarrett said. “It’s such a big contrast. That’s why it’s good for me to spot someone in the Nationwide race at Bristol, so I can try to keep everything the same.

“Bristol is kind of in a league of its own when it comes to spotting and driving. I wish I had more of a chance to drive on Bristol, so I could tell David more about how to maneuver the cars.”

Jarrett said he relishes the far-reaching sense of family in NASCAR. Growing up in a family with two legends of the sport, he can appreciate the fishbowl existence of Dale Earnhardt Jr.

“I can remember watching races from the infield at places like Bristol and North Wilkesboro with Dale Jr., Brad Means and a bunch of other kids whose fathers raced,” Jarrett said. “We all wanted to be racers ourselves, but Dale Jr. wanted it the worst. That’s why I’m a fan of his. Dale Jr. followed through with his goals.”

Jarrett can also relate to the high expectations heaped upon the son of the seven-time Winston Cup champion.

“I had some pressure following my father and grandfather, but obviously not to the magnitude that Dale Jr. has faced,” Jarrett said. “I feel bad with some of the stuff [Earnhardt] has had to go through, but he’s a good guy. He can handle it.”

As for his own high-speed dreams, Jarrett said he hasn’t forgotten the sensation.

“I think about racing all the time,” said Jarrett, who made his last start in the 2005 ARCA race. “Once you’ve been a racer, you always keep that thought in the back of your mind that you can still do it.

“And in a way, we still are racers even though we are now in the spotters’ stand instead of in the cockpit of a car.”

agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544