Thursday, October 1, 2026
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Charlotte, NC (WNN) - Former NASCAR Champion Ned Jarrett has passed away at the age of 93. NASCAR released news of the 2-time Champion on Friday afternoon. Per the family, Jarrett passed away on Thursday, June 4th, 2026. Jarrett was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in its second year. He was an early pioneer of the sport as well as a racing TV broadcaster and analyst.
The Jarrett family made the following statement: “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. He died peacefully of natural causes at his home in Newton, North Carolina, 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.”
“Despite his calm demeanor, ‘Gentleman’ Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen,” NASCAR CEO Steve O’Donnell said in a statement. “His on-track accomplishments speak for themselves with wins and championships across several NASCAR divisions. But it was his off-the-track persona that separated Ned from his peers. He was as kind as his nickname indicated. And his endearing personality helped him excel in his second career as a broadcaster. Ned was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades, and he will be dearly missed. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to all of Ned’s family and friends on the loss of a NASCAR legend.”
Phil Combs, 68, and owner of the Combs Family Museum in Shelby, NC, had this to say about the passing of Ned Jarrett.
"I've known Ned Jarrett since I was 7 years old. My mom and dad worked for Ned at the Hickory Motor Speedway. He was the one who got Hickory paved in the 1960's. He also hosted the longest-running racing radio show, called Ned Jarrett's World of Racing. Ned was the oldest living NASCAR Champion since Rex White and the last of that NASCAR era; he will be missed." - Phil Combs
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