Ned Jarrett, the soft-spoken yet fiercely competitive driver known as “Gentleman Ned” who became one of NASCAR’s most respected champions and later a beloved broadcaster, died Thursday, June 4, 2026. He was 93.

Jarrett died peacefully of natural causes at his home in Newton, North Carolina, with family by his side, according to a statement released Friday. “Our father was a devout Christian and a devoted, loving, family man,” the family said. “He was a friend to everyone he met and NASCAR’s oldest living champion. By all accounts, he was a true NASCAR legend.”

A cornerstone figure in NASCAR’s formative decades, Jarrett built a Hall of Fame career that included 50 NASCAR Cup Series victories and two championships, in 1961 and 1965. His 50 wins placed him among the elite drivers of his era, achieved in just 352 starts between 1953 and 1966.

Jarrett’s first championship came in 1961, a season defined not by dominance in the win column but by remarkable consistency. He won just one race that year but compiled 33 top-10 finishes, outlasting more prolific winners to secure the title.

Four years later, he delivered one of the sport’s most commanding seasons. Driving for owner Bondy Long, Jarrett won 13 races in 1965 and claimed his second championship in decisive fashion. That same season included one of NASCAR’s most iconic performances a victory in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway by a record 14 laps, still the largest margin of victory in Cup Series history.

Over the course of his career, Jarrett also totaled 185 top-five and 239 top-10 finishes, underscoring his reputation for consistency and race management.

Though his accomplishments on track were significant, Jarrett’s demeanor set him apart. Known for his calm, respectful approach, he earned the nickname “Gentleman Ned,” a reflection of both his personality and his sportsmanship.

“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.”

Jarrett retired from driving in 1966 at age 34, but his impact on the sport did not end there. He transitioned into broadcasting, where he became a trusted voice during NASCAR’s growth into a national sport.

He was perhaps most famously behind the microphone for the finish of the 1993 Daytona 500, when his son, Dale Jarrett, won in a dramatic sprint to the checkered flag a moment that became one of the most memorable calls in racing history.

Jarrett’s contributions to NASCAR extended well beyond statistics. He was a two-time Sportsman Division champion in 1957 and 1958, a member of NASCAR’s 50 Greatest Drivers list, and was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011.

For more than six decades, Jarrett served as both a competitor and an ambassador, earning widespread respect throughout the industry.

“He was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades and he will be dearly missed,” O’Donnell said.

Jarrett is survived by his family, including his son Dale, himself a NASCAR Cup Series champion. His legacy endures as one of the sport’s pioneering figures a champion driver whose influence carried from the racetrack to the broadcast booth and beyond.