“Do you need a sportswriter?” It was a simple question asked by a 22-year-old Steve Waid while walking into a newsroom in a t-shirt and jeans in 1970. And little did NASCAR know that he would end up changing the sport’s journalism forever. Fresh out of college, Waid got hired by the Martinsville Bulletin in just 20 minutes. It marked the beginning of a career that would span decades.

Now, the NASCAR community remembers him and what made him one of stock car racing’s most respected voices, with longtime colleague Rick Houston revealing earlier today that Waid had sadly passed away after a long battle with cancer.

Remembering the man who told NASCAR stories better than anyone

Born in Richmond, raised across military postings from Puerto Rico to Japan before eventually settling in Virginia Beach, and later serving in the Marine Corps reserves, Waid brought a love for storytelling to every garage and press box he entered.

Just days before he passed away on June 15th, Waid was still thinking like a reporter. “I will be fine. Little changes. Think I can file Monday if I am out of here.” That was him speaking to Frontstretch owner and editor-in-chief Tom Bowles. Such was his love for sharing stories of the sport he loved so dearly.

For generations of NASCAR fans, race weekends weren’t complete until they read what Waid had written. And NASCAR itself summed up his legacy best in a statement released on Tuesday.

“For decades, Steve Waid was one of the most respected and trusted voices in NASCAR journalism. He chronicled the sport with passion, integrity, and an unmatched appreciation for its people, history, and traditions. Through his work at NASCAR Scene, NASCAR Illustrated, and several other outlets, Steve’s storytelling helped generations of fans better understand NASCAR and the personalities who shaped it,” it read.

Waid covered his first-ever NASCAR race at Martinsville Speedway on September 26, 1971, a day when Bobby Isaac drove his No. 71 K&K Insurance Dodge to victory. He already had his first newspaper job and was learning from longtime track PR director Dick Thompson. Soon, the garage door that didn’t usually open for outsiders opened for him.

After a year at the Bulletin, Waid moved to The Roanoke Times, where he spent roughly a decade balancing stock-car racing coverage during the season and minor-league hockey in the winter. But in 1978 came the moment that changed his career and laid the foundation for the figure he would eventually become.

While still at The Times, Waid began freelancing for Grand National Scene, the publication that later became NASCAR Scene. In May 1981, he became its executive editor. Over the next 28 years, he produced nearly 2,700 bylines and somewhere between 1.5 and 2 million words. Entire eras of NASCAR were documented through one person’s storytelling.

Waid later became publisher of NASCAR Scene and NASCAR Illustrated and helped shape how fans consumed the sport until Scene ceased publication in 2010. His influence stretched far beyond the articles he wrote.

Waid served as president of the National Motorsports Press Association for 12 years. He won the George Cunningham Writer of the Year Award in 1989 and the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence that same year. In 1999, he teamed up with fellow journalism icon Tom Higgins to co-author a biography of Junior Johnson. Then, in 2019, Waid received one of NASCAR media’s highest honors: the Squier-Hall Award.

Tributes Pour In After Steve Waid’s Death

The reaction to the news of Waid’s passing said just as much about him as a person as his résumé did.

Veteran reporter Bob Pockrass wrote on X, “Sad news. Steve Waid was a joy to work with at NASCAR Scene and Illustrated. His wealth of knowledge was only surpassed by his abundance of kindness. RIP.”

Jeff Gluck, who met Waid in Indianapolis at the age of 25, spoke about how kind he was as a person.” For whatever reason, he invited me to grab a bite at the old Union Jack Pub near the track. I told him about my career goals, and he listened and actually made me feel for the first time ever that they were possible. I could not believe someone as legendary in the NASCAR media as he was would even give me the time of day, let alone be so encouraging. Such a kind man.”

Mark Martin, meanwhile, kept it simple: “I have lots of fond memories,” he wrote.

And Kyle Petty perhaps said what many longtime fans were thinking: “I spent a large portion of my NASCAR years reading and believing everything Steve Waid wrote. He could find a story when others couldn’t. Racing journalists were a different breed then. And he was at the top of that list. God Speed.”

Rest in peace, Steve Waid. You’ll forever remain the benchmark for aspiring NASCAR journalists.