NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett, a two-time Cup champion and longtime broadcaster, died peacefully Thursday of natural causes at his home in Newton, North Carolina, his family announced. He was 93.
Jarrett won 50 races during his career and was the champion of NASCAR’s top series in 1961 and 1965, when he won 13 races and finished in the top five in 42 of 54 races despite breaking his back in a June wreck at Greenville-Pickens (SC) Speedway.
During the 1966 season, Jarrett lost his manufacturer support when Ford Motor Co. pulled out of the sport. Jarrett opted to retire while on top at just age 34 and spend more time with his family.
“Our father was a devout Christian and a devoted, loving family man,” the Jarrett family said in a statement. “He was a friend to everyone he met and NASCAR’s oldest living champion. By all accounts, he was a true NASCAR legend. While we mourn his passing, we celebrate the remarkable life of an amazing man and truly the best father anyone could have wished for. Rest in Peace, Dad.”
Jarrett was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011 as part of the second five-member class.
He returned to the sport as a radio broadcaster with MRN in 1978, and he later moved to the television booth with CBS and ESPN. One of his signature moments came at the 1993 Daytona 500, when he called the finish to the race and openly rooted as his son, Dale Jarrett, took the checkered flag ahead of Dale Earnhardt.
“Despite his calm demeanor, ‘Gentleman’ Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a statement. “His on-track accomplishments speak for themselves with wins and championships across several NASCAR divisions. But it was his off-the-track persona that separated Ned from his peers. He was as kind as his nickname indicated. And his endearing personality helped him excel in his second career as a broadcaster. Ned was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades, and he will be dearly missed. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to all of Ned’s family and friends on the loss of a NASCAR legend.”
The Jarretts were the second father-son combination to win championships at NASCAR’s highest level, and both are members of the Hall of Fame.
