Longtime radio broadcaster Barney Hall, considered by many to be the voice of NASCAR and the Motor Racing Network, passed away Tuesday, according to the MRN website.
Hall, known by race fans around the world for his work on the Motor Racing Network, was a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame as the first recipient, along with his colleague Ken Squire, of an award to honor the media’s contributions to the sport. That award is named for Hall and Squire.
A native or Elkin, N.C., Hall would begin his career in broadcasting during a four year stint in the Navy in the 1950s. Afterwards, he worked at his hometown radio station, WIFM, as a disc jockey for several years.
Hall began his career in motorsports by working at Bristol Motor Speedway. He was part of the Motor Racing Network from it’s inception in 1970, working on pit road, then as a turn announcer. He would eventually become a lead booth announcer for the network, a position he would keep for much of his career.
He called his final race on July 6, 2014, as he called Aric Almirola’s victory at Daytona International Speedway in Richard Petty’s No. 43 – a number Hall had called to victory lane many times in his career.
While Hall had stepped away from the play-by-play microphone, his voice remained a constant in MRN’s broadcasts in pre-recorded introductions and promos, as well as in special programs on the history of the sport.
“For many of us in the racing and broadcasting industries, Barney was more than just ‘The Voice’ who brought us the NASCAR action each week on the radio,” said MRN President David Hyatt in a release Tuesday night. “He was an inspiration, a teacher and mostly, a friend. Barney was a consummate professional whose style and honesty made him one of the most revered voices of the sport and perhaps the most trusted reporter of his day.
“In a world that can have its share of egos, Barney’s humor and humility kept everyone around him firmly grounded. His smooth and easygoing delivery was the mark by which others were measured. His co-anchor, Joe Moore, once commented that ‘Barney was the calming force in the midst of a raging storm and simply by listening to him, you knew there was safe passage through it.’ Barney Hall was the true voice of NASCAR and although his own voice has gone silent, his presence will live on in the many current motor sports broadcasters who learned at the knee of such a great storyteller.”
Barney Hall was 83 years of age.
