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a retired race car driver and two-time NASCAR champion. Jarrett was best known for his calm demeanor, and he became known as "Gentleman Ned Jarrett". Yet he was an intense competitor when he put his two hands on the steering wheel of a NASCAR stock car. Jarrett raced in his first national race at the 1953 Southern 500 at Darlington Speedway. He was out after 10 laps after the engine developed an oil leak. He made only two or three starts per year 1954-1957; and did not race in 1958. In 1959, he was looking to pursue a career in NASCAR Grand National (now Monster Cup) Series. He purchased a Junior Johnson Ford for $2,000. He did not have enough money to cover the check, so he waited until the bank closed to write the check, entered two races, and won them both to cover the cost of his car. In 1960, he won five races finishing fifth in the Championship chase. 1961 saw him only win once, but and the

championship over Rex White that season. 1962 saw him win six times; but finish third in the points. 1963 was even better as he claimed eight wins; but again, the championship eluded him as he finished fourth in the points. Both years he was beat out by Joe Weatherly. In 1964, Jarrett joined team owner Bondy Long and with the support of Ford won 15 times; on five occasions he won back to back races. Still the Championship eluded him again as this season the title went to Richard Petty. Jarrett picked up his first superspeedway win at Atlanta Motor Speedway. In 1965, Jarrett became a super star when he won 13 races and another NASCAR Cup championship. He placed among the top five in 42 of the 54 races that he

ran. The 1965 Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway was one of the wildest races in NASCAR history. Rookie driver Buren Skeen died after two cars ran into the side of his car in the early laps. Sam McQuagg was leading the race, when Cale Yarborough tried to muscle past McQuagg for the lead. Yarborough flew over the guardrail, rolled around six times, and ended up at the end of the parking lot by a light post. Yarborough waved to the crowd as he walked back to the pits. A video clip of the wreck was used on ABC's Wide World of Sports for several years. With 44 laps left, Fred Lorenzen and Darel Dieringer were fighting for the lead far ahead of Jarrett. Lorenzen's motor expired, and even before he could get into the pits Dieringer's motor started smoking too . Dieringer

continued at a slower pace to finish third. The race was won by Ned Jarrett by 14 laps, which is the farthest margin of victory in NASCAR history. In 1966, Jarrett was in the run for another championship when Ford announced that they were withdrawing from NASCAR. With that, Jarrett decided that it was time to retire at the young age of 34. Jarrett is the only driver to retire as the NASCAR champion. His final win would come at Dog Track Speedway in Moyock NC. He would start second; lead 56 laps and beat Bobby Isaac by over a lap to get the win. It is speculated that the death of his good friend and fellow competitor Fireball Roberts hastened Jarrett's early

retirement. His final race came at Rockingham NC in the American 500. Jarrett started 18th and drove through a strong field of competitors to finish third in the event. This strong finish showed that Jarrett was still at the top of his game when he hung up his helmet for the final time. In 1978, Jarrett became a radio broadcaster on MRN Radio. He interviewed United States President Ronald Reagan live at the 1984 Firecracker 400 at Daytona, the race famous as Richard Petty's 200th win. Ned also hosted a daily radio program about racing on MRN Radio called "Ned Jarrett's World of Racing" until May 15, 2009, when he announced he would retire from the program. Jarrett also has been a television broadcaster on The Nashville Network, CBS, ESPN, and Fox. He called several of NASCAR's more

memorable television moments. Ned called his son Dale's first victory (in his 129th race) in the 1991 Champion 400 at the Michigan International Speedway. Dale banged fenders with Davey Allison's coming to the finish line in what was then the closest finish in NASCAR history. Another famous moment was when he called Dale's victory at the 1993 Daytona 500, openly siding with his son on the last lap and coaching him home to victory over Dale Earnhardt. Embarrassed by his loss of objectivity, he tried to apologize to Earnhardt after the race, but Earnhardt merely smiled and said, "I'm a father, too". For his career Jarrett posted 352 starts, and had 50 wins, He also got 185 top fives, and 239 top ten finishes. He was voted one of NASCAR's 50 Greatest Drivers, and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame during the 2011 induction ceremony on May 23, 2011. For more info on his broadcasting career follow this link HERE. Some info from Wikipedia

Fantasy NASCAR Racing

NED JARRETT - 10/12/1932