Ned Jarrett, two-time NASCAR champion turned broadcasting voice, dead at 93
Ned Jarrett, a NASCAR Hall of Famer who built twin legacies as a Cup Series race winner and a television broadcaster, died of natural causes at his home in Newton, North Carolina. He was 93. Jarrett's death adds to a period of mounting loss within the NASCAR community.
Jarrett competed in the Cup Series from 1953 to 1966, having first encountered racing when Hickory Speedway opened near his family's farm and sawmill operation. He was immediately captivated. "I played a little basketball and baseball in high school (and) thought I had some athletic ability," he said, according to NASCAR. "When they opened the speedway, I ran the first race they ever run there. I was hooked." Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998, he accumulated 43 Cup Series victories driving Ford-badged machinery - a total that stands as the all-time record for wins in a Ford vehicle. The nearest active challenger on that list is Joey Logano, whose 35 Ford victories leave Jarrett's record a considerable distance away.
After retiring from competition, Jarrett moved into broadcasting, beginning as a pit reporter for Motor Racing Network radio before transitioning to television work with CBS and ESPN. His most enduring moment behind the microphone came during the 1993 Daytona 500, when he called a late-race duel between his son Dale Jarrett and Dale Earnhardt Sr. - a race his son won. "You know who I'm pulling for, it's Dale Jarrett. Bring her to the inside, Dale, don't let him get down there," Jarrett said during the broadcast. "He's gonna make it! Dale Jarrett's gonna win the Daytona 500! Alright!" The call became one of the most replayed moments in the sport's broadcasting history.
The Jarrett family's imprint on NASCAR extends across generations. Dale Jarrett went on to become a NASCAR champion in his own right and a Hall of Famer, while son Glenn Jarrett also pursued a career in broadcasting after racing. Ned Jarrett's wife of 67 years, Martha, died in 2023.
