Ned Jarrett facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ned Jarrett
Jarrett working for MRN in 1985
Born	(1932-10-12) October 12, 1932 (age 92) Conover, North Carolina, U.S.
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)
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)
Wins Top tens Poles 50 239 35
Statistics current as of May 3, 2013.

Ned Jarrett (born October 12, 1932) is a famous American former race car driver and TV announcer. He won the top NASCAR championship, the Grand National Series, twice. People called him "Gentleman Ned Jarrett" because he was always calm and polite. He is the father of two other race car drivers, Glenn Jarrett and Dale Jarrett.

Ned Jarrett's Racing Career

Ned Jarrett loved cars from a young age. His dad let him drive the family car to church when he was only nine years old. By age 12, Ned worked at his father's sawmill, but he really wanted to be a race car driver.

Early Racing Days

Ned drove in his first race in 1952 at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina. He drove a Sportsman Series Ford car that he owned with his brother-in-law, John Lence. Ned finished tenth in that race.

His father did not like him racing. Once, John Lence was sick, so he asked Ned to race for him. Ned used John's name and finished second. He raced a few more times using John Lence's name. But his father found out after Ned won a race. His father 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. This was the 1953 Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway. His car's engine leaked oil, and he had to stop after only 10 laps.

In 1955, Ned became the track champion at Hickory Motor Speedway. He finished second in the Sportsman Series in 1956. Then, he won the Sportsman Series championships in both 1957 and 1958.

Becoming a Champion

In 1959, Ned wanted to race in the Grand National Series full-time. He bought a Ford car from Junior Johnson for $2,000. Ned did not have enough money to pay for it right away. So, he waited until the bank closed to write the check. He then entered two races and won both of them. This allowed him to cover the cost of his new car.

In 1960, Ned won five races. The next year, in 1961, he won the Grand National championship. He finished in the top five 22 times and in the top ten 34 times out of 46 races. He also won one race that year.

Ned Jarrett was known as "Gentleman Ned" because he was fair. For example, he sold his 1961 Chevrolet car to Wendell Scott. Wendell Scott was the first African American NASCAR driver. Ned sold him the car when Ned switched to Fords in 1962.

Racing schedules back then were very tough. Sometimes there was more than one race per week. Race teams were also smaller, often with only one or two paid helpers.

In 1964, Ned joined team owner Bondy Long. With help from Ford, he won 15 races. However, he lost the championship to Richard Petty. Ned got his first big track win at Atlanta Motor Speedway that year.

Winning the Southern 500

In 1965, Ned Jarrett became a huge star. He won 13 races and his second Grand National championship. He finished in the top five in 42 of the 54 races he entered.

The 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was a very exciting race. Many cars crashed. With 44 laps left, Fred Lorenzen and Darel Dieringer were far ahead of Ned. Lorenzen's engine broke down. Then, Dieringer's engine started smoking too. Dieringer kept going slowly and finished third. Ned Jarrett won the race by 14 laps and two car lengths. This is the largest winning distance in NASCAR history. Ned won the last race of the season at Dog Track Speedway to secure his championship. This was his final NASCAR win.

In 1966, Ned raced in only 21 of 49 races. He finished in the top ten eight times. When Ford announced they were leaving NASCAR, Ned decided to retire. He was 34 years old. Ned Jarrett is the only driver to retire as a NASCAR champion.

After racing, Ned worked in real estate and other businesses. He also promoted races at Hickory Motor Speedway. Later, he returned to racing as a broadcaster.

Ned Jarrett as a Racing Announcer

In the early 1960s, Ned started a radio show on WNNC in Newton, North Carolina. He recorded his show, and it was played locally. This was likely the start of his career in radio. Ned often recorded many shows at once to make time for his racing schedule.

Ned said that taking a Dale Carnegie class helped him a lot in his broadcasting career and in life.

In 1978, Ned became a radio announcer for MRN Radio. He even interviewed U.S. President Ronald Reagan live at the 1984 Firecracker 400 race. This race was famous because Richard Petty won his 200th race there. 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 was a pit reporter from 1979 to 1984. Then, he became a color analyst, explaining the races, from 1984 to 2000.

He called some of NASCAR's most memorable TV moments. He announced his son Dale's first victory in 1991. Dale won by a very small margin, which was the closest finish in NASCAR history at the time.

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. He said, "It's the Dale and Dale show, and you know which Dale I'm pulling for!" He felt a bit embarrassed later. But Dale Earnhardt, who finished second, just smiled and said, "I'm a father, too."

Ned also hosted other racing shows like Inside Winston Cup Racing on TNN and NASCAR Tech on FSN.

In 2007, Ned returned to the announcer's booth for one race. He called the Carquest Auto Parts 300 Busch race with his son Dale Jarrett. In 2015, 2016, and 2017, Ned joined Ken Squier and his son Dale to call parts of the Southern 500 race.

A Racing Family Legacy

Ned Jarrett is the father of Dale Jarrett, who won his own NASCAR championship in 1999. Dale now works as a race announcer for NBC Sports. Ned and Dale were the second father-son pair to win Cup championships. Lee Petty and Richard Petty were the first. Ned has even helped Dale as a spotter in the past.

Ned's other son is Glenn Jarrett. Glenn raced in the Busch Series and had a few Cup Series starts in the 1980s. 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. Jimmy Makar won the 2000 championship as crew chief for Bobby Labonte. Dale's son, Jason Jarrett, also raced. He had some starts in the Busch and Cup series and won races in the ARCA Re/Max Series.

Ned Jarrett's Personal Life

Ned Jarrett' is the son of Homer Keith Jarrett and Eoline Marie Leatherman. They were married in 1928.

Ned first married Olene Rebecca Proctor in 1950. They had a son named Glenn Ned Jarrett, born in 1950. They later divorced. Ned then married Martha Ruth Bowman in 1956. They stayed married until her death in 2023. They had two children, Dale Jarrett (born 1956) and Patricia Dawn Jarrett (born 1959).

Awards and Honors

Ned Jarrett has been honored many times for his racing career. By 2004, he was in 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 for the NASCAR Hall of Fame. He was part of the 2011 class of inductees. He was officially inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on May 23, 2011.

List of Ned Jarrett's 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)

See also

In Spanish: Ned Jarrett para niños