During the second qualifier race on the Thursday prior to the Daytona 500, Jarrett sealed his fate and the North Carolina native crossed the stripe ninth to take the first of two transfer spots and qualify for Sunday's race. The UPS Toyota went on to finish 16th in Jarrett's final run at the legendary track.

"I didn't really think about the fact that it is my last run at this track until the checkered flag fell," Jarrett said following the Daytona 500. "After I realized we all weren't going to wreck on that last lap, I had a chance to really think about how much this track has meant to me and my career as I pulled into garage. It's strange to think that those are my last laps at Daytona."

Jarrett would experience many more of these moments over the coming weeks as he made his four final starts as a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver. Jarrett final point's event came at the fan favorite Bristol Motor Speedway where fans and the NASCAR community joined together to pay tribute to his successful career. The 1999 Sprint Cup champion would return to the wheel of the UPS Toyota one final time at the Sprint All Star Race in May. Again, the fans recognized Jarrett and his storied career but Jarrett gave thanks to them in return by driving a lap in the Big Brown Truck during driver introductions prior to the start of the race.

"With about five to go I started taking things in and realizing it wouldn't be happening anymore," Jarrett said following his last race. "Once again, it was great. I'm very satisfied with the decision and the way things have gone in my career."

Following Jarrett's departure sophomore Sprint Cup driver David Reutimann took the wheel of the UPS Toyota for the remainder of the season. Led by veteran crew chief Ryan Pemberton, Reutimann had much to prove this season after failing to qualify for eight events during his rookie campaign. Reutimann started off the season behind the wheel of the #00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing as Jarrett made his final run Team 44. Reutimann debuted behind the wheel of the UPS Toyota beginning at Martinsville Speedway in March as the #00 and #44 not only changed drivers but swapped entire teams as Reutimann brought Pemberton and his entire crew aboard the UPS Team.

After two races outside the top-35 in owner point standings, Reutimann and Pemberton put the UPS Team into the top-35 for good following the April race at Phoenix International Raceway. This marked the first time the UPS Toyota had been locked into the field since its arrival at Michael Waltrip Racing. The same held true for Reutimann as the driver looked forward to the benefits of not having to qualify for a race by speed.

"We are back in the top-35 and that's a big step for us as a race team," Reutimann said. "The main thing is we don't have to worry about (qualifying). We can treat Friday's practice session like any other team in the garage and just focus on making our car better for race runs. It's going to be a lot of fun -- I'm looking forward to that."

The ability to change their focus on Friday's proved to be a huge gain for Reutimann and company as the season progressed. The team posted their first top-10 finish following the season's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, marking Reutimann's first top-10 in his Sprint Cup career. Momentum was high but the summer would be rocky until another turning point came following the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway when Reutimann debuted the first chassis built in-house at Michael Waltrip Racing. The results on-track were immediate and heads started to turn in the garage as the #44 Toyota made its way to the front of the field.

Reutimann scored his first front row start at Bristol in August by qualifying second going on to post back to back top-10 finishes at California and Richmond the following two weeks. He drove to the front of the field at Texas Motor Speedway posting his fourth top-10 of the season and qualified fourth at Phoenix in November. In the final race of the year, the Florida native scored his first career pole in his home state at the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.

At season's close, Reutimann started all 36 points events with only four DNFs during the year leaving him 22nd in the driver standings. The team heads into the 2009 season solidly inside the top-35 benefitting from 18 top-20 finishes during the year.

In addition to the driver changes during the season, UPS announced in September that 2009 would find the sponsor aligned with a new team and driver combination. When the season kicks off in Daytona with the 2009 Speedweeks session, the UPS colors will cover the #6 Ford of Georgia native David Ragan, driver for Roush Fenway Racing.

Again, the 2008 season was one of change for UPS and its racing program but the future appears to bright for the fan favorite sponsor as well as for those who have worn the UPS shield throughout the season.