FOX INSIDER REFUTES RUMORS OF NASCAR LEGEND'S DEATH

Despite social media reports to the contrary, NASCAR legend Ned Jarrett has not gone to the great racetrack in the sky.

The 91-year-old Jarrett, the father of former NASCAR champion and now NASCAR on NBC analyst Dale Jarrett, is alive, according to a report by Fox Sports’ Bob Pockrass.

“For those asking having seen social media posts,” Pockrass posted, “Ned Jarrett’s granddaughter-in-law posted that he is alive and she had just talked to him.”

It’s not clear how the social media rumors started. But they may have been influenced by an apparent tribute published Wednesday in the The Tennessean. Headlined, “Ned Jarrett: NASCAR driver, Cup champion, broadcaster who retired, Dale Jarrett’s father,” the tribute featured many photos from throughout Jarrett’s career as a racer and later broadcaster.

It has the appearance of an obituary. If that’s how the newspaper publishes random tributes to past sports greats, perhaps a disclaimer is needed to prevent possible confusion.

Jarrett is a two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion (1961, 1965) who won 50 Cup races before retiring in 1966. One of the most beloved drivers in the sport’s history, he earned the nickname “Gentleman Ned” for his likable demeanor. The NASCAR Hall of Fame inducted him in 2011.

After his retirement, Jarrett worked for years as a broadcaster, first with MRN on the radio side, then with CBS and ESPN in the television booth. He provided one of the most emotional moments in NASCAR broadcast history in the 1993 Daytona 500, when he willed his son Dale to victory in a last-lap battle with Dale Earnhardt.

Fans were relieved to see Pockrass’ report that ‘Gentleman Ned” is OK.

[Bob Pockrass on X/Twitter]

The post NASCAR insider refutes rumors of legendary driver Ned Jarrett’s death appeared first on Awful Announcing.

2024-06-28T22:51:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd