NASCAR Industry Mourns the Death of Legendary Reporter

What’s Happening?

Al Pearce, a long-time staple of NASCAR media centers across the country, passed away this week at the age of 82. While his passing is a somber moment for NASCAR media, it brought together a slew of happy times and memories of one of NASCAR’s original reporters.

• Pearce made his name working out of Virginia for the Newport News Daily Press and Autoweek, for whom, according to their records, he covered racing since 1973. His career, which included coverage of an impressive 56 straight Daytona 500s, is matched by few, both in the garage and in the media center.
• Having seen NASCAR rise through thick and thin, Pearce served as a living record of the sport’s history for many of the media members who currently make up the media center. With the news of his passing, many of these personalities, some of which are NASCAR legends in their own right, have shared their memories of Pearce.
• In an emotional post on X, Jeff Gluck of the Athletic shared stories of Pearce’s support during his time as an upstart in NASCAR media. In a similar post, FOX Sports lap-by-lap announcer Mike Joy reflected on Pearce’s love not just for racing but the motorsports media as a whole.
• Pearce’s passing is another one on a growing list of NASCAR industry legends who have passed away in the past year. This list includes Bobby Allison, who passed in November, and Fred Lorenzen, who passed in December.

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