Ned Jarrett tours nearly completed NASCAR Hall of Fame
Two-time NASCAR champion Ned Jarrett was given a tour of the nearly completed NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday.
// Sam Cranston, NASCAR Scene
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - NASCAR pioneer Ned Jarrett was on hand for a tour of the nearly completed NASCAR Hall of Fame on Friday as part of a ceremony in which the Hall recognized the 60th anniversary of the series’ first stock-car race.
"This is the first time I've been here since the groundbreaking [in 2007] and I am just absolutely amazed," said the two-time NASCAR Cup champion. "It's unbelievable the progress they've made and the kind of facility that this is going to be."
Jarrett competed in NASCAR from 1953 to 1966 and won 50 races in 352 starts. One of the artifacts that Jarrett was shown and that will be on display at the Hall of Fame when it opens in 2010 was the CBS Sports sport coat he wore while working as a broadcaster during the 1993 Daytona 500. His son, Dale Jarrett, won that race after a battle with Dale Earnhardt.
"It's a honor to be involved in the sport and it has been very good to the Jarrett family," Jarrett said. "I'm so thankful to be a part of the sport and to see where the sport has come from [in] those days."
The Hall of Fame recognized the 60th anniversary of the first NASCAR race that took place at Charlotte Speedway on June 19, 1949 - a race that Jarrett attended as a 16-year-old spectator.
Jarrett watched that first race from outside the fence near the start/finish line, where he had an unnerving experience. Jarrett said an engine's fan blade struck the fence post he was leaning on.
"I got knocked backwards and lost my balance," Jarrett said. "It's only by the grace of God that I'm here today and I learned right there that you don't want to get too close, but it sure was fascinating to watch the cars bounce around that dirt track and that's when the bug really bit me."
