NASCAR Hall of Famer and two-time Cup champion Ned…

NASCAR Hall of Famer and two-time Cup champion Ned Jarrett dies, aged 93

Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Ned Jarrett has passed away at the age of 93. He is also the father of 1999 NASCAR Cup Series champion Dale Jarrett.

The elder Jarrett was an icon both on the track and off. 'Gentleman' Ned started 352 Cup races between 1953 and 1966, winning 50 races, which places him 14th on the all-time wins list. He became a champion in 1961, and won the title again in 1965.

Jarrett took part in seven of the first eight Daytona 500s, finishing as high as third, and earned crown jewel win in the 1965 edition of the Southern 500. He was also part of the original World 600 (now Coca-Cola 600) field in 1960.

Jarrett's career as a driver came to an abrupt end at the age of 34, choosing to retire one year after his second title -- a season where he won 13 races.

He is the only Cup Series champion in history to willingly retire the following year, and finished third in his last-ever Cup Series start in 1966.

Ned Jarrett in 1965 (Photo by: ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images)

After hanging up his helmet, Jarrett became a highly respected broadcaster for decades, and covered many of the sport's most iconic moments, including calling son Dale to his 1993 Daytona 500 win.

Ned has been inducted into a dozen Hall of Fames, including the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1991 and the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2011 -- the second-ever class of the NASCAR Hall.

"Despite his calm demeanor, "Gentleman" Ned Jarrett was as fierce a competitor as NASCAR has ever seen," said NASCAR CEO Steve O'Donnell. "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. And his endearing personality helped him excel in his second career as a broadcaster. Ned was an outstanding ambassador for the sport for more than six decades and he will be dearly missed. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my deepest condolences to all of Ned's family and friends on the loss of a NASCAR legend."