Dale Jarrett has spent 13 seasons climbing to the summit of NASCAR racing.
Dale Jarrett is on the cusp of his first NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship. Yes, he could blow up in each of the remaining two races, while Bobby Labonte wins and leads the most laps at both Miami and Atlanta.
And the Electric Slide could return as the nation's next dance craze.
About the only thing in racing that's as much of a sure thing is this: Jarrett will be a good champion, and a breath of fresh air. That's not a swipe at Jeff Gordon, Terry Labonte or Dale Earnhardt, who are all truly great racers and have been graceful and deserving champions.
However, a first-time champion -- only the third one of the 1990s -- is special, and can only be good for the sport. And a first-time champion who has come as far, and worked as hard for it, as Jarrett has, may be even more special.
What's becoming clear as Jarrett runs the media gauntlet over these final weeks is that he's ready to be champion. He's looking forward to being the "new" face of the sport, and he will relish rather than dread the responsibilities that go with being No. 1.
He's taking the same approach to his attempt to clinch the title, whether he locks it up here at Miami or next weekend at Atlanta.
"We realize that if it doesn't happen this weekend that we've got another shot at it," Jarrett said. "It would be nice to be able to go into Atlanta knowing that we've got it out of the way and we can go there and try to win the race and and the thing on a good note.
"I don't know that it's gonna be a relief. I think it's more a feeling of excitement. I'm not sure totally what I'm gonna feel when it's over. Right now I know that I'm excited more than nervous about it. All I can do is go out here Sunday and do what I'm capable of doing.
"There's really nowhere that we haven't been able to run in the top-8. We know this is a new place, but if we can just do our job and everything goes accordingly, it should happen and then maybe I can explain my emotions a little bit more then. But right now it's just sheer excitement. The opportunity to represent this sport excites me."
Jarrett has a different perspective on the championship than any other recent champion. It's taken him 13 seasons to win his first title, and he's been beaten out in each of the last three years.
His father is a three-time NASCAR champion, so he has a healthy respect for what that title means, but his famous name never guaranteed him a great ride.
He worked with a number of fair-to-middling teams before getting an opportunity with Robert Yates, and he has seen very clearly how huge the difference is between first-rate equipment and merely decent equipment.
No one wins a championship without working long, long hours and paying his dues -- no one, despite what some may say about Gordon's meteoric rise. But Jarrett has paid them for longer than most before finally getting to the summit. The same goes for his car owner Yates, who has fielded cars in NASCAR's top series since 1989.
And when Jarrett wraps up the title, he'll be doing it largely for Yates, and for his teammates.
"If it does happen," Jarrett said, "a lot of people in the garage area will be very pleased for Robert Yates because of what he's done in this sport and for this sport. He's been a tremendous help to Todd (Parrott, crew chief) and I. At the times when maybe we've gotten a little excited, he's been like a father to the both of us and we've sat down and be able to talk to him -- or listen to him more than talk to him -- and get our focus back. He does have that calming effect on us and that's very good.
"Todd has asked a lot of our guys and even as excited as they are, you can tell they need a little refreshment and hopefully we can give them that in the form of a trophy on Sunday.
"They (the crew) don't get nearly the credit as what they deserve. It's unbelievable, unless you've had the opportunity to be around those guys and know how much effort they put in at the shop."
Every champion gives credit to his crew, and they all give appreciative nods to their owners. Pretty much every racer says those right things if you put enough reporters in front of him.
But Jarrett brings a different feel to the championship. He's not stressed out. He's not pressured. He's actually having fun. And he'll have fun as a champion. Hopefully NASCAR fans will enjoy his reign too.