According to a statement from the family, Martha Jarrett passed away on Sunday, February 5. She was the matriarch of the Jarrett family, which also includes Dale and Ned Jarrett, who was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. “Sadly, the family of NASCAR [Hall of Fame] member Ned Jarrett announces the passing of his beloved wife Martha, who died peacefully Sunday, February 5, with family by her side,” the official statement reads. “Ned and Martha spent 67 years together, in complete love and devotion. At this time, the family requests privacy.”
Ned Jarrett was married to Martha for 67 years during which time they had two children, Dale and Patricia Jarrett in 1965 and 1969, respectively. Ned Jarrett won two NASCAR Cup Series championships in 1961 and 1965. Ned Jarrett, Martha’s husband, was a member of the CBS Sports commentary team in 1993 when Dale Jarrett, driving for Joe Gibbs Racing, won the Daytona 500 for the first time.
As the race came to a close, the camera would cut between the action on the track and Martha Jarrett’s response as she saw her son eventually claim a significant victory in his NASCAR Cup Series career.
Following the conclusion of a 24-year career in which he won 32 races, the 1999 NASCAR Cup Series championship, and three Daytona 500 victories (1993, 1996, 2000), Dale Jarrett would also be honored with induction into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Dale joined ESPN in 2008 after his full-time driving career came to an end. He stayed with the network until 2015 when NBC acquired the rights to broadcast the NASCAR Cup Series. Jarrett is still an on-air analyst for NBC Sports’ coverage of the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series eight years later.
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