Legendary NASCAR driver and broadcaster “Gentlemen Ned” Jarrett has died at 93, his family announced Friday.
Ned Jarrett made his NASCAR debut in the Grand National Series in 1953. The Newton, North Carolina Native won 50 races in his 352 starts, including the 1965 Southern 500, and the 1961 and 1965 Series Championships.
The father of Cup Series and Daytona 500 Champion Dale Jarrett and broadcaster Glenn Jarrett, Ned also served as a long-time broadcast voice for NASCAR races on MRN Radio, CBS Sports, ESPN, and, years after his retirement, NBC Sports.
In a statement, the Jarrett family confirmed Ned’s passing saying:
“With profound sadness, the family of NASCAR Hall of Fame driver and radio/tv personality, Ned Jarrett, announces his passing on Thursday, June 4, 2026. He died peacefully of natural causes at his home in Newton, N.C. with his family by his side. He was 93 years old. 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. Rest in Peace, Dad.”
While Jarrett was a champion of NASCAR’s early days, most fans remember him as a kind-hearted and straightforward broadcaster who kept it professional even when his son was winning races.
For many, the memories of Jarrett in the booth focus on one moment, the 1993 Daytona 500. With the laps winding down, Dale Jarrett battled Dale Earnhardt for the lead. Ever the professional he was, Ned would only refer to his son as “Jarrett” and not Dale.
That lasted until the final lap, when Ned was given the reins of the broadcast by legend Ken Squier, with Jarrett calling Dale home for the win (sounding more like a spotter than a broadcaster) alongside camera shots of his wife, Martha, crying as Dale won his first of three 500s.
In many ways, Jarrett was the model example for any driver who looked to turn their knowledge into a career in the booth, footsteps his sons both followed in, with Dale also tacking on Cup Series Championships of his own.
In a statement, NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said of Jarrett, “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.”
His passing also comes in the wake of a difficult period for the NASCAR community, which lost legends Greg Biffle and Kyle Busch under tragic circumstances in December and May.
Jarrett is a member of the 2011 NASCAR Hall of Fame class. Upon his induction, he was honored as part of an elite company of the first seven drivers inducted into the hall alongside Junior Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Sr., Richard Petty, Lee Petty, Bobby Allison, and David Pearson.
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