Which NASCAR drivers did the late Bob Jeffrey spot for? All you need to know

Legendary IndyCar spotter Bob Jeffrey, who was known for spotting NASCAR stalwarts like Hall of Famer Dale Jarrett and 3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart, passed away yesterday. The reason for death has not been announced yet.

In recent years, Jeffrey worked with the 2-time IndyCar champion, Josef Newgarden and Pato O'Ward, driver of the No. 5 machine for Arrow McLaren.

Besides winning the NASCAR Cup Series championship as the spotter for Dale Jarrett in 1999, Bob Jeffrey spotted former Indy Japan 300 winner and NASCAR trailblazer Danica Patrick in her final official IndyCar race in 2018.

According to TobyChristie.com, Jeffrey had decided to retire when Jarrett announced his retirement in 2008. However, Tony Stewart convinced him to join Stewart-Haas Racing. Stewart, paired with Jeffrey, won the 2011 NASCAR Cup Series championship, holding off Carl Edwards via a tiebreaker.

Furthermore, Jeffrey earned fame as a championship-winning spotter in the NTT IndyCar Series and IMSA. Jeffrey and Pat O'Ward won the NTT IndyCar Series opener at Petersburg and the race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course this year.

Bob Jeffrey once told the Bristol Herald Courier:

"It’s an easy job. Just tell ’em what you see and if they yell at you, don’t pay no attention to ’em," speaking of his role as a spotter.

Earlier in his 44-year-long NASCAR career, Jeffrey used to be a mechanic for Ed Whitaker's Winston Cup Series team, which fielded drivers like Dale Earnhardt Jr., Mark Martin, Alan Kulwicki and Davey Allison. He had also served a similar role for driver Harry Gant before taking up spotting as a full-time career.

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Fellow spotters share heartfelt notes on Bob Jeffrey's demise

Several renowned spotters who were close friends with Jeffrey took to X (formerly Twitter) to express their condolences following the death of the NASCAR veteran. One of them is Brent Wentz, who spotted Takuma Sato (Rahan Letterman Lanigan Racing) en route to the 2020 Indianapolis 500 championship.

"We lost a great teammate/competitor & most of all a friend today. Godspeed Bob Jeffrey (@EyeInTheSky14).. Thoughts & Prayers to his family, friends, & colleagues, he was a great man & will be missed.🙏🏻🏁 " Wentz wrote.

Brett Griffin, one of the crew members of the well-known NASCAR show, "Door Bumper Clear" and Jeffrey's former teammate at Robert Yates Racing, said:

"RIP ole friend. We will drink heaven outta Mich Ultra when I get there."

Freddie Kraft, who is also a member of the show presented by Dirty Mo Media, and the spotter for Bubba Wallace, said:

"We lost (one) of the best today. You never had a bad time with Bob Jeffrey. Always a smile on his face, and a story to tell. RIP Buddy."