Ned Jarrett facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ned Jarrett |
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Ned Jarrett working for MRN
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| Born | October 12, 1932 Conover, North Carolina, U.S. |
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| Achievements | 1961, 1965 Grand National Series Champion 1957, 1958 NASCAR National Sportsman Division Champion 1965 Southern 500 Winner Led Grand National Series in wins 2 times (1964, 1965) |
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| Awards | Myers Brothers Memorial Award (1964, 1965, 1982, 1983) National Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame (1972) North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (1990) International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1991) Oceanside Rotary Club Stock Car Hall of Fame (1992) National Auto Racing Hall of Fame (United States) (1992) American Auto Race Writers & Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame (1992) Jacksonville, Florida Speedway Hall of Fame (1993) Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (1997) Talladega Walk of Fame (1997) Named one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers (1998) Hickory Metro Sports Hall of Fame (2001) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2011) Named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers (2023) |
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| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 352 races run over 13 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 1st (1961, 1965) | ||||||
| First race | 1953 (Hickory) | ||||||
| Last race | 1966 American 500 (Rockingham) | ||||||
| First win | 1959 (Myrtle Beach) | ||||||
| Last win | 1965 Tidewater 300 (Moyock) | ||||||
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| Statistics current as of May 3, 2013. | |||||||
Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is an American retired race car driver and broadcaster. He is famous for winning the NASCAR Grand National Series championship twice. People called him "Gentleman Ned Jarrett" because he was always calm and polite. Ned is also the father of two other race car drivers, Glenn Jarrett and Dale Jarrett.
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Racing Career Highlights
Ned Jarrett loved cars from a young age. His dad even let him drive the family car to church when he was just nine! By age 12, he was working at his father's sawmill. But Ned really wanted to be a race car driver.
Starting Out in Racing
Ned drove in his first race in 1952 at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. He finished tenth in a Sportsman Series Ford. His father was not happy about it and told him he could work on cars but not drive them.
One time, Ned's brother-in-law, John Lence, was sick. He asked Ned to race for him. Ned used John's name and finished second! This worked so well that Ned raced a few more times as "John Lence." But after winning a race, his father found out. His dad then told him to at least use his own name if he was going to race.
Ned raced in his first Grand National Series race in 1953 at Darlington Speedway. He had to stop early because of an engine problem. In 1955, he became the track champion at Hickory Motor Speedway.
Championship Wins
Ned finished second in the Sportsman Series in 1956. Then, he won the Sportsman championships in both 1957 and 1958.
In 1959, Ned wanted to race in the Grand National Series. He bought a Ford car for $2,000. He didn't have enough money to pay for it right away. So, he waited until the bank closed, wrote the check, and then raced in two events. He won both races, earning enough money to cover the car's cost!
In 1960, Ned won five races. The next year, in 1961, he won the Grand National championship. He had one win, 22 top-five finishes, and 34 top-ten finishes out of 46 races.
Ned Jarrett was known for his good character. For example, he sold his 1961 Chevrolet to Wendell Scott. Wendell Scott was the first African American NASCAR driver. Ned changed to Fords in 1962, so he helped Wendell get a good car.
Big Wins and Retirement
In 1964, Ned joined a new team with support from Ford. He won 15 races that year! But he lost the championship to Richard Petty. Ned got his first big superspeedway win at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
In 1965, Ned became a huge star. He won 13 races and another Grand National championship. He finished in the top five in 42 of the 54 races he ran!
The 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was one of the most exciting races ever. Many cars crashed, and some drivers had big problems. Cale Yarborough even flew over the guardrail and rolled many times! But he was okay and waved to the crowd. Ned Jarrett won that race by a huge 14 laps, which is about 19.25 miles! This is the largest winning margin in NASCAR history. Ned won the last race of the season at Dog Track Speedway. This win sealed his championship and was his final NASCAR victory.
In 1966, Ned raced in only 21 races. When Ford announced they were leaving NASCAR, Ned decided to retire at age 34. Ned Jarrett is the only driver to retire as a NASCAR champion! After racing, he worked in real estate and other businesses. He also promoted races at Hickory Motor Speedway.
Racing Announcer Career
In the early 1960s, Ned started a radio show about racing. He recorded his shows and they were played on local radio stations. Ned said that taking a Dale Carnegie class helped him a lot in becoming a successful broadcaster.
In 1978, Ned became a radio announcer for MRN Radio. He even interviewed U.S. President Ronald Reagan live at the 1984 Daytona race. This was the race where Richard Petty won his 200th race! Ned also hosted a daily radio show called "Ned Jarrett's World of Racing" until 2009.
Ned also worked as a television announcer for CBS and ESPN. He called some of NASCAR's most memorable moments. He was on air when his son, Dale Jarrett, won his first race in 1991. Dale won by a very small margin, hitting Davey Allison's car at the finish line!
Another famous moment was when Ned called Dale's victory at the 1993 Daytona 500. On the last lap, Ned openly cheered for his son over Dale Earnhardt. He famously said, "It's the Dale and Dale show, and you know which Dale I'm pulling for!" Ned felt a bit embarrassed afterward. But Earnhardt just smiled and said, "I'm a father, too."
Ned also hosted other racing shows on TV. In 2015, Ned returned to the announcer's booth with his son Dale Jarrett and Ken Squier. They called part of the Southern 500 race at Darlington Raceway. They reunited to call parts of the race again in 2016 and 2017.
Awards and Honors
Ned Jarrett has been honored many times for his amazing career. By 2004, he had been inducted into 12 different motorsports and sports Halls of Fame.
- He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1997.
- On October 13, 2010, Ned was chosen to be part of the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He was officially inducted on May 23, 2011.
A Racing Family
Ned Jarrett is the head of a famous racing family. His son, Dale Jarrett, won the NASCAR championship in 1999. Dale is now a race broadcaster for NBC Sports. Ned and Dale were the second father-son pair to both win Cup championships. The first were Lee Petty and Richard Petty.
Ned's other son, Glenn Jarrett, also raced in the Busch Series and some Cup Series races. Glenn now works as a race broadcaster for UHF television. Ned also has a daughter named Patti. Patti is married to Jimmy Makar, who was a crew chief for Dale Jarrett and won a championship with Bobby Labonte. Dale's son, Jason Jarrett, has also raced in the ARCA series.
Personal Life
Ned Jarrett was born to Homer Keith Jarrett and Eoline Marie Leatherman. He married Olene Rebecca Proctor in 1950, and they had a son, Glenn. Later, Ned married Martha Ruth Bowman in 1956. They stayed married until her death in 2023. Together, they had two children, Dale Jarrett and Patricia Dawn Jarrett.
See also
In Spanish: Ned Jarrett para niños
