Jarrett's switch to Toyota jars some fans

DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Butch Meyer walked outside Darlington Raceway in his No. 88 hat and UPS racing jersey, testament to a 14-year allegiance to Dale Jarrett, one of NASCAR's most popular drivers.

But what Jarrett did last weekend in moving from his Ford team to one fielded by Japanese automaker Toyota in 2007 was enough to have Meyer cutting his longtime ties with DJ.

"That's it, he's done with me," said Meyer, a fan from Clearwater, Fla.

It's a sentiment Jarrett figures to hear often as he finishes his run at Robert Yates Racing, his home for the past 12 seasons. Jarrett said last Saturday he was joining Michael Waltrip Racing as a second Toyota entry.

Jarrett spoke with his father, championship driver Ned; and wife, Kelley, about the coming storm of change and "what impact it was going to have as far as the way I would be looked at in the circles here, what I had accomplished to this point."

Jarrett is well aware Ford and Robert Yates Racing helped him win 29 of his 32 races, two of his three Daytona 500s and the 1999 Nextel Cup championship. It also made Jarrett one of Ford's most popular racers.

There have "already been people talking about the loyalty side of it, and I think I've been very loyal" to both Ford and RYR, Jarrett said.

Ford Racing Technology public affairs manager Kevin Kennedy said the company is seeing some "very negative reactions among our loyalists" to Jarrett's move, partly because it involves a Japanese company.

"The Toyota thing is a factor," he said. "If he had gone back to Joe Gibbs Racing, I'm not sure the backlash would have been the same."

And current NASCAR teams are concerned about the money they expect Toyota to spend on the Nextel Cup. RYR co-owner Doug Yates said his company matched Jarrett's first offer, so he could stay until retirement, but Jarrett chose to go.

"They made him an offer he couldn't refuse," Yates said. "Toyota's history and background is throwing a lot of money around, and here is one of those examples."

Car owner Jack Roush, whose five Nextel Cup entries all made the Chase for the championship last season, talked with his manufacturer, Ford, and NASCAR about the imbalance he believes is coming because of Toyota's money.

"Their fingerprints are all over what's happening. They are, in fact, raiding the garage," Roush says, "and that's going to have an impact.

"I'm going to be one of the organizations out there trying to frustrate them," Roush said. "But certainly the money is a big challenge right now."

For the 49-year-old Jarrett, the move solidified his future -- he's been promised a role when his racing days end.