Dale Jarrett

He also ran races for Buddy Arrington and Hoss Ellington that season, finishing 23rd in the final standings.

Jarrett's father Ned competed in the NASCAR Grand National Division between 1953 and 1966, winning two series championships in 1961 and 1965.

Following retirement, Ned remained active in the racing community as manager of Hickory Motor Speedway and later established a career in broadcasting calling Cup races.

Jarrett spent his childhood traveling to his father's races across the Southern United States.

He was introduced to golf by age twelve; he also played football, basketball and baseball while attending Newton-Conover High School.

Jarrett led his high school's golf team to three conference championships, and was named the school's athlete of the year as a senior.

Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current racing commentator for NBC.

Jarrett was born on November 26, 1956, in Conover, North Carolina, the middle child of Ned and Martha.

Jarrett has an older brother, Glenn; and a younger sister, Patti.

His vehicle, a 1968 Chevrolet Nova, was built by Andy Petree and Jimmy Newsome.

Jarrett started last and finished in ninth place; it was after this event when Jarrett knew that he wanted to race for a living.

Jarrett continued to compete in the Limited Sportsman Division for two years, before moving up to the Dash Series and then the Late Model Sportsman Division, the latter in which he earned his first victory.

Following graduation in 1975, Jarrett worked at Hickory Motor Speedway, the track his father managed.

Jarrett was offered a full golf scholarship from the University of South Carolina, which he declined.

Though he continued to play golf, Jarrett was interested in following his father's footsteps as a racing driver.

In April 1977, Jarrett entered his first professional race in the Limited Sportsman Division in Hickory.

Jarrett competed in the 1982 NASCAR Budweiser Late Model Sportsman Series for car owner Horace Isenhower.

He earned fourteen Top 10 finishes throughout the season, with a best of third place at Hickory; and he finished sixth in the point standings.

During the 1983 season, Jarrett earned four poles and seventeen Top 5's, finishing fifth in the point standings.

For the 1984 Busch Grand National Series, Jarrett received sponsorship from Econo Lodge; Valvoline; and Budweiser.

He earned six front-row starts and 19 Top 10's, finishing a career-best fourth in the point standings.

Jarrett made his Winston Cup Series debut during the 1984 season.

During the 1986 Busch Grand National Series, Jarrett earned his first career victory at Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina; piloting the Nationwise Auto Parts Pontiac to victory lane.

He also earned six poles in 1986.

Jarrett earned his second career victory in the Busch Grand National Series at Hickory during the 1987 season.

In the Winston Cup Series, Jarrett replaced Tommy Ellis in the No. 18 Chevrolet owned by Eric Freelander early in the season.

He ran every race of the 1988 season, despite running with various teams.

He made most of his starts in the No. 29 Hardee's-sponsored Oldsmobile owned by Cale Yarborough, finishing eighth at Riverside International Raceway.

He ran the entire season for Yarborough in 1989, posting five Top 10 finishes, including two fifth-place runs.

Jarrett enjoyed the majority of his success in the Busch Series during the 1990 and 1991 seasons.

Led by crew chief John Ervin and engine builder Ron Hutter, Jarrett scored victories at Bristol, Charlotte, Rockingham and Darlington (twice).

He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series championship in 1999.

He is the son of 2-time Grand National Champion Ned Jarrett, younger brother of Glenn Jarrett, father of former driver Jason Jarrett, and cousin of Todd Jarrett.

Driving the No. 02 Chevrolet for Emanuel Zervakis at Martinsville Speedway, Jarrett qualified 24th and finished 14th.

He made two more Cup starts that season, at the Firecracker 400 for Jimmy Means, and the Warner W. Hodgdon American 500.

In 2007, Jarrett joined the ESPN/ABC broadcasting team as an announcer in select Nationwide Series races.

In 2008, after retiring from driving following the 2008 Food City 500, he joined ESPN permanently as the lead racing analyst replacing Rusty Wallace.

Running a primarily-unsponsored car, he had two 10th-place finishes and ended the season 26th in points, second to Davey Allison for Rookie of the Year honors.

He was inducted in the 2014 class of the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

In 2015, Jarrett became a part of the NBC Sports Broadcasting Crew for NASCAR events.