NASCAR Legend Ned Jarrett Dead at 93 — Two-Time Champion and Hall of Famer

NASCAR has lost one of its greatest champions and most beloved ambassadors. Ned Jarrett — the two-time Cup Series champion, NASCAR Hall of Famer, and pioneering broadcaster known universally as "Gentleman Ned" — died peacefully of natural causes on Thursday, June 4, 2026, at his home in Newton, North Carolina, surrounded by his family. He was 93 years old.

His family confirmed the news in a statement released Friday morning.

"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," the statement read. "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."

Who Was Ned Jarrett? A Racing Legacy Like No Other

Ned Jarrett was born on October 12, 1932, in Newton, North Carolina — and he never really left. He grew up near the tracks that defined early NASCAR, came up through the sport's grassroots divisions, and built a career that stands among the finest in the history of American motorsport.

His driving record alone is staggering. In the NASCAR Cup Series — then known as the Grand National Series — Jarrett won 50 races and two championships, in 1961 and 1965. He is one of only three drivers in NASCAR history to win 50 or more premier-series races, alongside legends Richard Petty and David Pearson.

He also won two championships in the Sportsman Division — the precursor to what is now the NASCAR Xfinity Series — in 1957 and 1958, before making his mark at the Cup level.

But it was the manner of his victories — and the manner of his life — that truly set him apart.

"Gentleman Ned" — The Nickname That Said Everything

In a sport built on aggression, wheel-to-wheel combat, and fierce competitiveness, Ned Jarrett stood out for being relentlessly decent. His nickname, "Gentleman Ned," was not a marketing creation — it was earned through decades of conduct on and off the racetrack that his peers, rivals, and fans found genuinely remarkable.

Perhaps no moment illustrated this better than what happened at the 1964 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. A multi-car crash ignited a fire. Ned Jarrett stopped his own car and ran to the wreckage to help pull fellow driver Glenn "Fireball" Roberts from the burning vehicle. It cost him any chance of winning the race. He didn't hesitate for a second.

"That's just who he was," NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell said in a statement Friday. "Despite his calm demeanor, 'Gentleman' Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen. His on-track accomplishments speak for themselves. But it was his off-the-track persona that separated Ned from his peers. He was as kind as his nickname indicated."

The 1965 Southern 500: A Record That Still Stands

In 1965, the year of his second Cup championship, Ned Jarrett accomplished something that has never been replicated in over 60 years of NASCAR history. At the Southern 500 in Darlington, South Carolina, he won the race by 14 laps — the largest margin of victory in the history of the NASCAR Cup Series premier event. It remains an unbroken record to this day.

It was the kind of dominant performance that underscored just how complete a driver Jarrett was in his prime — not a brawler, not a crash-and-bash racer, but a precise, methodical, supremely skilled competitor who maximized every advantage and made as few mistakes as any driver who ever sat behind a wheel.

The Retirement Decision That Made History

Following his 1965 championship, Ned Jarrett made a decision that remains completely unique in NASCAR history. When Ford Motor Company temporarily withdrew factory support from NASCAR teams in 1966, Jarrett — who was just 34 years old and at the peak of his abilities — chose to retire from full-time competition entirely.

He was the only NASCAR Cup Series champion to voluntarily retire the year after winning the title — keeping a promise he had made to his wife, Martha, that he would step away when the time was right. For Jarrett, integrity and family always came first.

That retirement opened the door to his second extraordinary career.

The Voice of NASCAR: A Broadcasting Pioneer

When Ned Jarrett hung up his helmet, he became something NASCAR had never quite had before: a former champion who could actually explain what was happening on the racetrack to a mainstream television audience.

He joined the Motor Racing Network radio broadcast in 1978 before transitioning to television with CBS and ESPN. He became one of the most trusted and recognizable voices in motorsport broadcasting — calm, knowledgeable, and deeply human in a way that connected with audiences far beyond the traditional NASCAR fanbase.

But nothing in his broadcasting career matched one extraordinary moment.

The 1993 Daytona 500: The Most Emotional Call in NASCAR History

On February 14, 1993, Ned Jarrett was in the CBS television booth for the Daytona 500 — the most prestigious race in American motorsport. As the final laps unfolded, something remarkable happened: his youngest son, Dale Jarrett, was racing for the lead against Dale Earnhardt, the most dominant driver of his generation.

What followed was one of the most iconic moments in sports broadcasting history. As Dale Jarrett held off Earnhardt in the final stretch, Ned Jarrett — the veteran broadcaster, the two-time champion, the man who had kept his emotions in check for decades — let every wall down and simply became a father cheering for his son.

"It's the Dale and Dale show as they come off Turn 4," Jarrett called. "You know who I'm pulling for — it's Dale Jarrett. He's going to make it! Dale Jarrett is going to win the Daytona 500! All right!"

Dale Jarrett beat Dale Earnhardt to the checkered flag. Father and son embraced in Victory Lane. An entire sport stopped and felt something together.

No one who saw it — or heard it — has ever forgotten it.

A Family Legacy: Dale Jarrett and NASCAR's First Family

The Jarretts are one of NASCAR's true first families. Ned's son Dale Jarrett went on to become a NASCAR Cup Series champion himself in 1999, winning 32 races over his career including three Daytona 500s. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2014.

Between them, Ned and Dale Jarrett won three NASCAR Cup Series championships, 82 Cup Series races, and earned two Hall of Fame inductions — a family legacy unmatched in the sport's history.

Ned was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Martha Jarrett, who passed away on February 5, 2023. He is survived by his children Glenn, Dale, and Patti Jarrett.

NASCAR's Tribute

The outpouring from the racing world was immediate and heartfelt.

NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell: "Ned was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades, and he will be dearly missed."

NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley: "Known universally as 'Gentleman Ned' for his kind, calm and gracious off-track presence, Ned Jarrett was a tough competitor on the track and one of NASCAR's earliest superstars."

NASCAR itself posted on X: "The NASCAR family is saddened by the loss of Ned Jarrett, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, two-time Cup Series champion and one of our sport's greatest ambassadors."

Jarrett was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011 as part of its second class. He was also inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1997. In 1998, NASCAR named him one of its 50 Greatest Drivers of all time.

Key Takeaways

• Ned Jarrett, NASCAR Hall of Famer and two-time Cup Series champion, died June 4, 2026, at age 93 from natural causes at his home in Newton, North Carolina
• Known as "Gentleman Ned" for his exceptional character on and off the racetrack
• Won 50 NASCAR Cup Series races and championships in 1961 and 1965; also won two Sportsman Division titles (1957, 1958)
• Holds the NASCAR record for largest margin of victory — 14 laps at the 1965 Southern 500 — a record that still stands
• Became NASCAR's first driver-turned-broadcaster, working with MRN Radio, CBS, and ESPN
• His emotional call of son Dale Jarrett winning the 1993 Daytona 500 remains one of the most iconic moments in sports broadcasting history
• Inducted into NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011), International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1991), and named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998)
• Survived by children Glenn, Dale, and Patti Jarrett; preceded in death by wife Martha in 2023