“It’s an easy job. Just tell ’em what you see and if they yell at you, don’t pay no attention to ’em,” is how legendary NASCAR spotter Bob Jeffrey described his job in a 2016 interview with the Bristol Herald Courier.
While he made it look easy, the job of a spotter in professional motorsport is very taxing mentally. You have to stand up on an exposed roof above the grandstands for hours on end, and if you see one thing wrong through the lens of your binoculars, well, you probably are going to be the reason for the day’s big wreck. There haven’t been many names atop the spotters stand that have ever carried as many stories or achievements as that of Bob Jeffrey, who passed away on Thursday after a battle with cancer. Jeffrey was 65-years old.
Jeffrey had served as the spotter for NTT IndyCar Series driver Pato O’Ward for the last couple of seasons, and the duo had won a couple of races, St. Petersburg and Mid-Ohio, this season. The Arrow McLaren IndyCar team issued a statement on the passing of Jeffrey on Friday morning.
“We lost a good one yesterday,” the statement from the team read. “Bob Jeffrey, spotter for Pato O’Ward and our No. 5 team, passed away after a battle with cancer. Bob was a favorite in the paddock with his contagious laugh and brilliant personality. He is renowned as one of the greatest spotters in motorsport, having won championships in IndyCar, NASCAR, and IMSA as the ‘eye in the sky’ for a number of first-rate racers including Tony Stewart, Dale Jarrett, and Josef Newgarden. Most of all, Bob will be remembered as a fun-loving family man who always greeted his teammates with a smile. We miss you, Bob, forever our eye in the sky.”
The Arrow McLaren team will race in Jeffrey’s honor this weekend in Toronto, as the team will carry decals on their cars, and O’Ward will carry a special decal on the top in remembrance of Jeffrey.
We race for Bob – our eye in the sky.
Bob Jeffrey, spotter for the Pato O'Ward and No. 5 team, passed away Friday after battling cancer. We honor him this weekend in Toronto. pic.twitter.com/zGCj2DEmcF
— Arrow McLaren IndyCar Team (@ArrowMcLaren) July 19, 2024
The news of Jeffrey’s passing was first revealed on social media by some of his closest buddies from the spotter’s stand on Thursday evening.
Brent Wentz, who was the 2020 Indianapolis 500 champion as a spotter, shared the first post in remembrance of Jeffrey on X.
“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 said in his post.
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. ??? pic.twitter.com/hY410ATCDC
— Brent Wentz (@Brent_Wentz) July 19, 2024
Brett Griffin, who was teammates with Jeffrey at Robert Yates Racing, shared, “RIP ole friend. We will drink heaven outta Mich Ultra when I get there,” Griffin posted on X.
RIP ole friend. We will drink heaven outta Mich Ultra when I get there. pic.twitter.com/YzCm08GqNl
— Brett Griffin (@SpotterBrett) July 18, 2024
Freddie Kraft, who serves as Bubba Wallace’s spotter at 23XI Racing, let the world in on Jeffrey’s electric and happy personality.
“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,” Kraft posted.
We lost 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. pic.twitter.com/ArLpFqleaD
— Freddie Kraft (@FreddieKraft) July 19, 2024
The legendary spotter, who had stints in NASCAR as a Cup Series championship-winning spotter for Dale Jarrett in 1999 and with Tony Stewart in 2011, and even spotted for Danica Patrick in her final Indy 500 start in 2018, essentially achieved everything there was to achieve throughout his 45-year career in NASCAR and later IndyCar.
In addition to his two NASCAR Cup Series championships as a spotter, Jeffrey added championships as a spotter in the NTT IndyCar Series and in IMSA.
Jeffrey moved to Arrow McLaren ahead of the 2022 NTT IndyCar Series season to serve as the spotter for O’Ward, one of the rising stars in the NTT IndyCar Series.
Prior to moving into a full-time role as a spotter, Jeffrey served as a mechanic for Ed Whitaker’s race team and driver Harry Gant. He would also perform live pit stops as a tire changer for the Henderson Motorsports Food Country car in what is now known as the NASCAR Xfinity Series. Jeffrey was the first to tell you that he wasn’t the world’s fastest tire changer, but when it came to spotting, perhaps, nobody was better.
Jeffrey admitted that when Jarrett had announced his retirement, he contemplated walking away from the sport himself. Then, Tony Stewart convinced him to join him at his newly built team, Stewart-Haas Racing. Jeffrey would be rewarded with a second NASCAR Cup Series championship.
He didn’t need that second NASCAR Cup Series championship to make himself a legend. Jeffrey already was one. But what he did at Stewart-Haas Racing after he left Robert Yates Racing, and what he accomplished in his stops after leaving Stewart-Haas Racing further cemented his status as potentially the greatest spotter in NASCAR history.
