Ned Jarrett, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion whose understated manner earned him the nickname "Gentleman Ned" and whose warm voice later carried the sport into millions of living rooms, has died at the age of 93.
Jarrett passed away on June 4 at his home in Newton, North Carolina, of natural causes. He was the oldest living NASCAR champion, a figure who connected the sport's rough-and-tumble origins with the polished television product it became.
NASCAR president Steve O'Donnell led the tributes, capturing the contrast that defined Jarrett's career.
"Despite his calm demeanor, 'Gentleman' Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen," O'Donnell said. "He was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades, and he will be dearly missed."
The numbers behind the gentle reputation were formidable. Jarrett won the Cup Series championship in 1961 and again in 1965, banking 50 victories across 352 starts. He recorded 239 top-10 finishes and 35 pole positions, and his win total still ranks 14th on NASCAR's all-time list. His racing career ran from 1953 to 1966, a relatively brief window that he filled with dominance.
Yet for younger generations of fans, Jarrett was known less for what he did behind the wheel than for what he did behind a microphone. After retiring from driving, he built a second career as a broadcaster, his measured North Carolina drawl becoming one of the most familiar sounds in motorsport commentary.
His most cherished moment in the booth came at the 1993 Daytona 500, when he called the closing laps as his son, Dale Jarrett, fought for and won the biggest race of his life. The elder Jarrett, momentarily abandoning broadcast neutrality, urged his son home in a scene that has become one of the sport's most beloved pieces of television.
Dale Jarrett would go on to win the Cup Series championship himself in 1999 and, like his father, was later inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame — making the Jarretts one of the sport's defining families.
Ned Jarrett's own honours reflected a life that shaped the sport on multiple fronts. He was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1997, and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011. He was also named among NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.
Jarrett leaves behind a legacy that few in the sport can match: a champion on the track, a storyteller in the booth, and the patriarch of a racing dynasty. As the garage prepares for the next round of the 2026 season, the loss of its oldest living champion will be felt across every corner of the paddock.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/ned-jarrett-nascar-gentleman-champion-dies-93-2026). Visit for full coverage.*