Collector Car Corner / Cars We Remember; Ned Jarrett and Dodge Polara

By Greg Zyla —

Ned Jarrett alive and well at age 93

Q: Greg, I really enjoy your old NASCAR and nostalgia car columns and was wondering if Ned Jarrett could have been a three-time champion had he kept racing? Didn’t he retire at a young age compared to today? Mel Jordan, Columbia, South Carolina.

A: Mel, by today’s standards, Ned Jarrett indeed retired at a youthful age back in 1966. I’ve had the opportunity to both work with Ned on an MRN radio race (1981 Mountain Dew 500) and interview him several times over the years for Performance Racing Industry magazine. I’ll admit had Ned kept racing, there is little doubt he would have won more championships.

Now 93 years old and a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, Ned is respected as a NASCAR champion who quit racing and never looked back, yet stayed in the sport and became even more famous.

In his prime, he was the pride of Southern stock car racing and today is revered not only as a two-time NASCAR champion, but he is also an accomplished businessman and has had a great television and radio commentator career. He also hosted a daily radio show until May of 2009 on Motor Racing Network (MRN) Radio, and today he makes a few guest appearances on radio and television.  

Jarrett grew up on a farm near Hickory, North Carolina, and terrorized the NASCAR circuit in its early days. In only six years of competition, Jarrett won 50 races, two Winston Cup (now simply Cup) championships, and racked up a win percentage that, to this day, is tough to match.

Prior to his Winston Cup championships in 1961 and 1965, Jarrett won the Sportsman (now Xfinity and soon to be O’Reilly Series in 2026) championships in 1957 and 1958.

Jarrett put both Chevrolet and Ford logos into victory lane and lists his most prestigious win as the 1965 Darlington Southern 500, which he won by 14 laps over second-place finisher Buck Baker. Though most of his wins came on the shorter tracks, Jarrett is revered as one of the most calculating and consistent drivers of all time, regardless of track size or distance.

The sporting world, however, was much different in the sixties. Feeling “over-the-hill” at age 34, Jarrett retired in 1966 and embarked on a nine-year stint as manager of the Hickory Speedway. Soon after, he found himself behind the motorsports microphone, where fans would enjoy him for decades. By the time Jarrett retired from broadcasting, he had worked regularly for CBS, ESPN, and MRN Radio, known affectionately as “Gentleman Ned.”

In reminiscing about his retirement from racing, Jarrett admits, when I interviewed him for PRI magazine, that he sometimes wonders, “What if?”

“In the sixties, drivers were comparing themselves with athletes in other sports, and we really didn’t have a barometer as to a retirement age in racing. No one had been around long enough to know how long a driver really could go. There was Lee Petty, who didn’t start until he was 38. But Lee was the exception. We thought we were old at 34.”

Frequently, friends remind him of his record behind the wheel and what could have happened had he stayed in the sport longer. Prompting such inquiries is the fact that in Jarrett’s active years of competition, he outscored Richard Petty’s win total by four and won two championships to Petty’s one – even though Richard drove six months longer than Jarrett at the time of comparison.

“I’m always flattered when someone remembers that, but I don’t want it to seem like I’m drawing a comparison between myself and Richard. I want to point out that before I started racing in the top Cup division, I had run in the Sportsman division for six years. Richard, meanwhile, started right in the top Winston Cup division. But it is true, so I don’t really know what would have happened had I kept racing.”

Still, the record speaks for itself. To Jarrett, however, humility outshines champion status.

“I appreciate all the opportunities that came along for me in racing, and it has allowed me to stay in the sport. My children have followed in my footsteps, and they are reasonably successful in this business, too.”

Jarrett’s children include Glenn, former Daytona 500 competitor; Dale, three-time Daytona 500 winner, 1999 NASCAR Cup Champion, and current broadcaster; and Patti, who works in racing administration and is well-respected in the sport. Ned’s wife of 67 years, Martha, passed away in February of 2023 surrounded by her family.

All of the Jarrett children are important to Ned, but not for the reasons many would think.

“I’m most proud of my family because of the people they are, more so than for their accomplishments,” he said.

This statement tells us a lot about the personal side of Ned Jarrett.

Thanks for your letter, and I hope this answer helps.   

1960 Dodge Polara, and a personal note about my dad

Q: Greg, I remember the 1960 Dodge Polara as one fine car for its day. My uncle had a two-door hardtop Polara that he bought brand new, and it came with a big V8. But I don’t remember how big. Can you give me some background on this car and the engines available that year? George Chambers, near Chicago, Illinois.

A: George, I’d be happy to. Back in 1960, the innovative design, top-class Dodge Polara came with some neat dual rear “half fins” and a well-balanced style that made it stand out in the crowd. To this day, I have a special place in my heart for the Dodge Polara, which I’ll explain at the end of this column.

First, the car. Back in 1960, some of the car designers were starting to move away from the larger, upright rear fins that became a crazy trend. However, Dodge kept fins on their ’60 model, but in a unique way. When combined with the sharp 2-door hardtop design and a new unibody construction, the Polara was both a real looker, although limited in numbers for several reasons.

One major reason few Polaras were built was direct competition from the new, cheaper, smaller Dodge Dart line. A second, more critical reason for fewer Polaras was the consumer, who loved the smaller, similar-looking, all-new 1960 Dodge Dart. There was also a 1960 Dodge Matador, similar to the Polara and built on the same wheelbase.

The Polara, Matador, and large wagons all rode on a 122-inch wheelbase, while the new Dart was basically a re-skinned Plymouth Savoy that rode on a 118-inch wheelbase. Because of the new Dart, the sales of the large Dodge models sank to just 42,335 during 1960, down from nearly 152,000 full-size Dodges in 1959.

However, thanks to the Dart, overall Dodge sales more than doubled to 349,120 as the Dart sold a whopping 306,803 units in its first year.

Clearly, the consumer had spoken.

As for engines, the Polara came with a 383 cubic inch, 325 horse V8 hooked to a three speed Torqueflite transmission. The Matador was delivered with a 361 cubic inch V8 developing 285 horses. The smaller Dart, which looked similar, came in Seneca, Pioneer, and Phoenix models and offered engines from the famous 225-inch “slant-6” to the popular 318 V8.

Rare today are the Polara and Matador line full size Dodges, so if you come across one on the highway or at a car show, you’ll know you’re looking at a car that is an exceedingly rare species thanks to the Dodge Dart introduction.

Now, why I love Polaras.

My dad drove Dodge Polaras and Monocos in the 1960s and I proceeded to total his 1965 Polara when I lost control in a snowstorm and ripped it in two pieces in a high speed, single car accident. I was practicing straightening the car out after intentionally getting the Polara “loose.” I overcorrected several times and ran it into two telephone poles hooked together. This was in 1967, and I still thank God I survived.

I called home and told my dad I had an accident, and he needed to come and get me at my then girlfriend’s house. When my dad got there, he told me someone was probably killed in an accident he saw when he came to pick me up. He said the car was in two pieces.

“That was your car dad,” I said. “I split it in two.”

My dad immediately hugged me, told me we could replace the car, but we couldn’t replace me. He said not to worry about the car as it was just “bent metal.”

Yes, my dad genuinely loved me.  

Thanks Dad.

Luckily, I went into the double poles backwards. That saved my life for sure but ripped the entire back end off. I was banged up a little, but nothing serious.

(Greg Zyla is a syndicated auto columnist who welcomes reader input on anything to do with auto nostalgia, collector cars and auto racing. Contact him at extramile_2000@yahoo.com or at Greg Zyla, Roosevelt Street, Sayre, Pa. 18840.)