NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett passes away at 93
Ned Jarrett, the two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and “Gentleman” driver who shared his expertise with millions, has died. He was 93.
“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 Jarrett family said in a statement. “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.”
Jarrett, father to NASCAR champion Dale Jarrett, was born in 1932.
The elder Jarrett’s racing career spanned from 1953 to 1966, earning 50 career wins and series titles in 1961 and 1965.
Jarrett retired from professional racing in 1966 at the age of 34, ultimately working as a broadcaster starting in 1970 for ABC.
Jarrett also worked for MRN, CBS, and ESPN, calling it quits full-time in 2000.
Accolades across Jarrett’s career include inductions into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1991) and the NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011). Additionally, he was named one of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers in 1998 and one of NASCAR’s Greatest Drivers in 2023.
Jarrett’s wife of 67 years, Martha, passed away in February 2023.
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Dominic Aragon View All
Dominic Aragon is currently the editor-in-chief for The Racing Experts.
From Grants, New Mexico, USA, Aragon started watching NASCAR in 2004 and has been covering the sport since 2009. Aragon is a 2012 graduate of Grants High School and a May 2016 graduate of the University of New Mexico with a B.A. in Mass Communications & Journalism. Aragon has worked in local and national media, as a musician, and an educator. He is co-author of the 2024 book "All of It: Daytona 500 Champion Tells the Rest of the Story" with racer Geoff Bodine.
Aragon, his wife Feliz, and son Christopher currently reside in Grants, New Mexico, USA.
You can reach Dominic at daragon@theracingexperts.net.