Car Collector Corner: Ned Jarrett fan speaks

Published: September 3, 2010

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Q: Greg, I really love your old NASCAR and nostalgia columns and was wondering if Ned Jarrett could have been a three-time champ had he kept racing. Didn't he retire at a young age? Mel, North Carolina.

A: Mel, by today's standards, he retired at a very early age. I've had the opportunity to both work with Ned and interview him several times over the years, and I'll admit had Ned kept racing, there is little doubt he would have won more championships.

Now 78 years young, Ned was looked on as one champion who quit racing and never looked back. By his prime, he was the pride of Southern stock car racing and today is revered as not only a two-time NASCAR champ, he's also an accomplished businessman and had a great television commentator career. He also hosted a daily radio show until May of 2009 on MRN Radio, and today does a few guest appearances on radio and television. (Ned's enjoying his "real" retirement.)

Jarrett grew up on a farm near Hickory, N.C., and terrorized the NASCAR circuit in its early days. In only six years of competition, Jarrett won 50 races, two Winston Cup (now Sprint Cup) championships and racked up a win percentage that to this day is tough to match.

Prior to his Winston Cup championships in 1961 and 1965, Jarrett won the Sportsman (now Nationwide Series) Championship in 1957 and 1958. He put both Chevrolet and Ford logos into victory lane, and lists his most prestigious win as the 1965 Darlington Southern 500. Though most of his wins came on the short tracks, Jarrett is revered as one of the most calculating and consistent drivers of all time, regardless of track size or distance.

The sporting world, however, was much different in the sixties. Feeling "over-the-hill" at age 34, Jarrett retired in 1966 and embarked on a nine-year stint as manager of the Hickory Speedway. Soon after, he found himself behind the motorsports microphone, where fans would enjoy him for decades.

In reminiscing about his retirement from racing, Jarrett admits he sometimes wonders "what if?"

"In the sixties, drivers were comparing themselves with athletes in other sports, and we really didn't have a barometer as to a retirement age in racing. No one had been around long enough to know how long a driver really could go. There was Lee Petty, who didn't start until he was 38. But Lee was the exception. We thought we were old at 34."

Frequently, friends remind him of his record behind the wheel, and what could have happened had he stayed in the sport longer. Prompting such inquiries is the fact that in Jarrett's active years of competition, he outscored Richard Petty's win total by four, and won two championships to Petty's one ... even though Richard drove six months more than Jarrett.

"I'm always flattered when someone remembers that, but I don't want it to seem like I'm drawing a comparison between myself and Richard. And, I want to point out that before I started racing Winston Cup, I had run Sportsman for six years, and Richard started right in Winston Cup. But it is true, so I don't really know what would have happened in my career had I kept on racing."

Still, the record speaks for itself. To Jarrett, however, humility outshines champion status.

"I appreciate all the opportunities that came along for me in racing, and it has allowed me to stay in the sport. My children have followed in my footsteps and they are reasonably successful in this business, too."

Jarrett's children include Glenn, a television broadcaster and former Daytona 500 competitor; Dale, three-time Daytona 500 winner, 1999 NASCAR Cup Champion and current broadcaster; and Patti, who works in racing administration and is well respected in the sport.

All of the Jarrett children are important to Ned and his wife, Martha ... but not for the reasons many would think.

"Because of the people they are, more so than for their accomplishments," he told us.

This statement tells us a lot about the personal side of Ned Jarrett.

Thanks for your letter.

(Greg Zyla welcomes reader questions on anything to do with nostalgia, cars and racing. Contact him at 116 Main St., Towanda, PA 18848 or e-mail him at extramile_2000@yahoo.com.)

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