by SPEED,

Updated: May 15, 2006, 11:59 AM EST

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John Roberts: Welcome Michael Waltrip of Michael Waltrip Racing and Dale Jarrett. If you've been paying attention to what's been going on, you can probably put two and two together here as to what the announcements going to be. Michael, we're going to let you take it away from here.

Michael Waltrip: We've made a decision and signed Dale Jarrett to drive our Toyotas in '07 and '08, and we're real proud to have Dale on board. He's a wonderful ambassador to the sport, and he fits perfectly with what we're building and what we're doing. We believe he can win us some races and give us just a lot of direction and guidance with a new startup team with a new manufacturer. It will be something that will be a real asset to have his knowledge and his experience and his ability on our team, directing our path for us.

John Roberts: And Dale, no matter how long you're in this sport, sometimes a change can really do you good and (give you) a new, fresh outlook.

Dale Jarrett: Well, it can. You know, when Michael called me about this, I thought about it for quite a while. And then as he and Ty Norris came back with the opportunity and everything that they were doing, I just saw a new challenge there. And I think that we're always looking for that, not that these racetracks aren't enough of a challenge each and every week. But this is something new and different. Robert Yates and Ford Motor Company have been great to me and put me on the map. If it wasn't for them, Mike would have never called obviously so he's given me that chance. But this is something that's for the last two years of my contract as far as driving the racecars, but then it gives me sometehing after that, too. To help build something new is pretty exciting to me. Toyota coming in, we've seen what they've done in the (Craftsman) Truck Series. Obviously it's going to be much more difficult for them as they get to the Nextel Cup Series, but I think that's going to be a lot of fun and a great challenge. I'm looking forward to it.

Jeff Burton: Dale, I recently left a place I was for a long time and went over to Childress, and to me, exactly what you're talking about is why I did it, too. There's been a lot talked about money, and Toyota throwing a lot of money. Tell everybody why. What is the real reason for wanting to make a move? A lot is made about money in our sport. I'd like to give you a chance to explain to fans what really, when you woke up one morning and said, "This is why I'm going to do it," what was that decision?

Dale Jarrett: Yeah, you know, Jeff, a lot has been talked about money, and certainly we all make good money out here, more than we ever envisioned making anyway. But that wasn't the underlying factor. The biggest thing is this opportunity to help Michael and his people and Toyota start something new, and I saw that as just a unique challenge that I wasn't going to have that opportunity to do something like that again because I was getting toward the end of my career. And everything that was presented here to me, I really like those ideas. And I said, "That's something that I want to be a part of." It's nothing against Robert and Doug Yates and Carolyn Yates and everybody there. It has nothing to do with that. They've been wonderful to me. I couldn't ask for a better family so to speak, through all of these years. Nothing to do with any of that. It's just a new, challenge that I needed, that I was looking forward to. Sure, the money's good. Michael and everybody have been very good to me there. And I made a joke last week about talking to my dog about this, but then I got e-mails saying you really ought to be talking to your wife and your family. Certainly I have done that. I talked extensively with my dad and with my wife Kelley. Those are the two people that I rely on the most, and we had a lot of conversations about what was going to be best. What was the best for me in my racing career? What was I looking to do after I finished driving the car? And this gave me the best opportunity for myself and for my family. And I know everybody is not going to understand because they don't know everything there, and I've already gotten stuff about "Don't you have any loyalty to Robert Yates and the Ford Motor Company?" Certainly I do. They're the reason that I'm even here. But there comes a time when you have to make that decision for yourself, and this is the decision that we've made.

John Roberts: Michael, this is a colossal undertaking, isn't it? You've never been one to shy away from a challenge before. But this isn't like going out and training for a marathon. This involves so many people. It's a huge challenge to put together a new manufacturer in a sport this big.

Michael Waltrip: The key to success is quality people, and the folks that I've met at Toyota are just down to earth, great folks to deal with and to work with. Ty Norris has come on board. He's done a wonderful job on the business side. Bobby Kennedy has been my friend forever, and he's in on the Toyota system. He knows what's going on there. He's going to be a part of this deal. Larry Carter is just a... I've just surrounded myself with such wonderful quality people that that's why I think we have a really good shot at succeeding and having success in a timely manner. The fact that we've got all these folks around us. We have a direction. We understand where all the pieces and where the parts are going to come from. We just have to put them together and then get good solid crew chiefs, drivers all working together in order to accomplish a goal. And I believe so far, with the addition of Dale and his knowledge and experience and Larry Carter and some of these guys we've got, we've done a pretty nice job of saying we're going to be a good race team. And it's not going to be long before we are.