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When Ned Jarrett's career was over, he had won 50 races and two national championships. Only two of his 50 wins came on the superspeedways, but when it came to the rough-and-tumble short tracks, where a man's skill mattered most, Ned Jarrett was among the elite. Born in 1932 in Newton, North Carolina, as one of four children, Ned was introduced to cars early in life. Jarrett drove in his first race in Hickory, North Carolina and finished 10th. In 1959, Ned decided to go racing on the sport's highest level, NASCAR Grand National. He bought a used Junior Johnson Ford for $2,000, and won the only two races he ran, making enough to pay for the car. In 1960, he won five races and the next year he
won the championship. The 1965 season was Jarrett's A year later, with Jarrett again in the championship hunt, Ford withdrew from racing, and he retired. Still young, he spent his time in real estate and business ventures. A few years later, Jarrett got into broadcasting and, as he did in racing, he quickly rose to the top. He is now a fixture on CBS and ESPN telecasts, and hosts his own radio and TV shows, making him one of the most famous racing personalities in the country. Ned Jarrett, THE FANS' FAVORITE for the 1997 "Inactive Category" Inductee at the Talladega-Texaco Walk of Fame.
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He was called "Gentleman" Ned Jarrett
because of his smooth demeanor and pleasant disposition, but he was an intense
competitor, and one of the best who ever sat behind the wheel of a NASCAR Grand
National (now Winston Cup) stock car.
best. He won 13 races, and his second Grand National championship. He won the
Southern 500 at Darlington and finished in the Top Five an incredible 42 times
in 54 races.
