Ned Jarrett, a NASCAR hall of fame driver and racing family patriarch, has died
Ned Jarrett, a two-time NASCAR champion in the 1960s and a NASCAR hall of famer, died Thursday. He was 93.
Jarrett passed away at his home in Newton, N.C., with his family by his side. A statement from the Jarrett family said that “he died peacefully of natural causes.”
The patriarch of a racing family that also included his son Dale, Jarrett’s Southern graces were so well-known in the sport that he was widely known as “Gentleman Ned.” He won his two titles in what is now known as NASCAR Cup in 1961 and 1965 and ended his racing career with 50 career victories, even though he retired from driving at the relatively young age of 34.
Later, Jarrett became one of the sport’s first widely known broadcasters, on both television and radio. He is still remembered for his emotional call from the booth as son Dale won the 1993 Daytona 500.
Like his father, Dale Jarrett also won a NASCAR Cup title, in 1999, and became a NASCAR hall of famer.
Ned Jarrett was named one of NASCAR’s “50 Greatest Drivers” in 1998 and was inducted into the NASCAR hall of fame in Charlotte in 2011. He was part of the hall’s second class, which means he was among the first 10 people inducted.
I was too young to ever see Jarrett race in person, but I caught a good deal of his broadcasting career and interviewed him numerous times. The word “gentleman” fit him well, especially the first part — Ned was such a gentle soul it was hard to believe he was such a hard-charging racer, although everyone who competed against him said it was so.
And I always thought he handled calling his son Dale’s races with grace, much like Dell Curry has over the years calling NBA games featuring Steph or Seth. There’s no sense in pretending that you don’t want your own son to succeed — that’s inauthentic. But you also can’t make excuses for your children on TV; you just have to call it like you see it.
In his 2011 hall of fame speech in Charlotte, Jarrett noted that he had raced against the likes of Richard Petty, Junior Johnson, David Pearson and Bobby Allison. “I appreciate you guys allowing me to win a few races along the way,” Jarrett said.
Jarrett also said during his speech: “I’m very proud of my driving career, and what we were able to accomplish on the race track in a relatively short period of time. And I’m equally as proud to have been able to get in on the ground floor broadcasting races. And I cherished my time as a promoter at Hickory Motor Speedway for nine years. I’m thankful for all of those three distinct careers.”
The Jarrett family said in its statement Friday announcing Ned’s death: “Our father was a devout Christian and a devoted, loving, family man. 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.”
Ned Jarrett was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Martha, who passed away in 2023. Among his survivors are all three of the couple’s children: sons Glenn and Dale, and daughter Patti.
Said Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s CEO: “Despite his calm demeanor, ‘Gentleman’ Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen.... 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.”
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
This story was originally published June 5, 2026 at 1:36 PM with the headline "Ned Jarrett, a NASCAR hall of fame driver and racing family patriarch, has died."
