Dale on Dale

It's an important week for the series as they attempt to move on following the loss of the sport's greatest champion, Dale Earnhardt.

Last weekend's Dura Lube 400 at North Carolina Speedway was a sombre affair as it was the first race since Earnhardt was killed in the last turn of the last lap of the Daytona 500 on February 18. Although the series was back in action last weekend, it was more of a way to remember Earnhardt than a spirited competition that has been a NASCAR trademark.

"I think every week is going to be very important to us," Jarrett said. "This is something that is going to take a long time. I can honestly say there is not a day and there are very few hours in my day that something doesn't come up that I think about Dale - something that he did for me or helped me or just something he did for the sport, that he did for the fans. That is just what he really meant to us.

"It's going to take a long time, but it is important. We've had two good races as far as the competition goes and, hopefully, that will continue. This fan base that Dale drew for us - these millions of fans that we have across the country - we have to find a way to keep them excited about NASCAR racing even though we have all lost our hero. We have to find a way and I think good racing will help do that. Hopefully, that's what we'll do again here Sunday."

Earnhardt was much more than a fellow competitor in NASCAR Winston Cup competition. He was the heart and soul of the sport.

NASCAR Winston Cup racing was as much a reflection of Earnhardt's personality because he was to many the hero or the villain. In Earnhardt's absence, drivers such as Dale Jarrett or Mark Martin or Rusty Wallace or Ricky Rudd or Jeff Gordon will have to accept more responsibility to become the heart and soul of the sport.

"I was asked a question similar to that earlier and I think it's going to take a collective effort," Jarrett said. "This isn't something that even one person out here could start to fill his shoes in that respect.

"I made the joke that when we were doing commercials for Coca-Cola or whoever it was, Dale was in charge. They had a director there, but actually Dale Earnhardt was in charge. We got things done a lot quicker and got out of there a lot faster than they thought, so I was behind him there. We all learned a lot in that respect, but as far as here at the race track..."

No one will ever replace Earnhardt, but there are other drivers who can step up and increase their stature within the sport.

"If you asked me the question, who could take over that role or who is most likely to do that? I'd have to say Jeff Gordon is in that position, but we're not going to put that on one person," Jarrett said. "It's going to take a lot of us to step up and help carry this sport and continue what Dale built here. I don't mean any disrespect to any of the other drivers because we have a lot of great drivers and individuals out here, but it would take a lot more than one or two or three to replace Dale Earnhardt in making all of that happen."

There are many things that the sport will miss about Dale Earnhardt.

"Besides being a great driver and a great family man, he was a very smart business man," Jarrett said. "He knew the things that were best for this sport. He was somebody we could count on. He did a lot of that behind the scenes, too.

"He had more influence than any driver that has come through this and that is saying a lot. There are people like Richard Petty and David Pearson who carried this along, but Dale came through at a time when more people were seeing this sport. He gave us all an idea of how to handle these situations."

Jarrett believes it is unfair for NASCAR fans to expect Dale Earnhardt Jr to carry to mantle of his late father. Jarrett thinks that one day, Earnhardt's son will be a great driver, but he isn't going to make the fans forget about the seven-time NASCAR Winston Cup champion.

Jarrett also cherishes the times when he got to race against Earnhardt, specifically when he beat him in the 1993 and 1996 Daytona 500s.

"Those were very special," Jarrett said. "They were the Daytona 500, but when I won those first two, it kept Dale Earnhardt from winning that race. At that time, I had never won a championship or anything, but I had something that Dale Earnhardt didn't have up to that point and it was special."

Earnhardt would finally win the Daytona 500 in 1998 and Jarrett won the 1999 NASCAR Winston Cup championship. The two Dales had tremendous respect for each and for each other's family.

"Dale Earnhardt meant a lot to our family and our kids knew how much he meant to us," Jarrett said. "He was always good to my kids. The millions of people that Dale Earnhardt met, he always had something to say to our kids.

"That night, when we got home from the Daytona 500, I talked to my family after losing one of my best friends and told them why I wanted to continue in this sport. I'm doing everything I possibly could to make sure that if something happens, I can survive. They understand that is what I do and what I love to do. It's afforded us a wonderful life, but it was a difficult conversation. It puts it in a difficult light when your kids voice their concerns. When a six-year-old comes up to you, and to think something could happen, then that would be very difficult."

Jarrett said the loss of Earnhardt struck at the heart of every racer.

"We all looked at Dale Earnhardt as invincible," Jarrett said. "I never imagined racing and him not being there. You had the idea that he was going to continue on. He was literally Superman and nothing could take him down. We have all realised if something could happen to our hero, it can happen to all of us."