Word just came through that Al Pearce, motosports hall of fame writer, died suddenly on Monday. No word on arrangements yet. Al was a long-time reporter for the Times-Herald and Daily Press in Newport News, VA. He also wrote for Auto Week and other publications, authored or co-authored a bunch of books on racing, and was a member of several halls of fame. Will post arrangements when they are known.
RIP Al Pearce
- Thread starter Bud_Bundy
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2muchcoffeeman
Well-Known Member
HeinekenMan
Active Member
RIP Al Pearce. He was a giant in the motorsports world, and his contributions to racing journalism are unforgettable.
maumann
Well-Known Member
Dang. What a life lived! Al and I would sit in media centers and spin stories of Rocky Mount, his hometown and just a waypoint in my career. Just one of those guys who was always there, year after year.
And covered 56 consecutive Daytona 500s. That's truly up there in Jerry Green/Super Bowl and Dan Jenkins/Masters territory.
RIP and prayers to his family and friends.
And covered 56 consecutive Daytona 500s. That's truly up there in Jerry Green/Super Bowl and Dan Jenkins/Masters territory.
RIP and prayers to his family and friends.
Throw in Art Spander and 70 straight Pasadena-based Rose Bowls, a streak that ended this year.
2muchcoffeeman
Well-Known Member
Mike Hembree:
For much of his journalism career, at every NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway, Al Pearce occupied the first seat on the last row near the podium in the infield media center.
The landscape was familiar for those passing through, or stopping by. Al always had a cup of soda or tea. Near the screen of his well-traveled laptop, he had used a marker to write "SAVE SAVE SAVE," a forever reminder to protect his stories by "saving" them after he had written several paragraphs. This was a result of the loss of a particularly long story to one computer demon or another. "A lesson I learned a long time ago," he would say.
Scattered around his laptop would be a smattering of notes that pertained either to the story he was writing or to future stories. He was a relentless researcher and number hound, chasing statistics across a series of races or looking for information that might prove one point or another.
When NASCAR next races at Daytona, that seat on the last row will be empty. Al Pearce died Wednesday, his fragile heart finally giving up at the age of 82.
Virtually every day for most of the past 60 years, Al had pecked away at a computer, reporting, analyzing, criticizing, and puzzling over the ups and downs of a sport he came to love. He was putting nouns and verbs together almost to the end, working on yet another in a line of thousands of stories he wrote for this website and Autoweek magazine over more than a half-century of journalism.
My time in the auto racing game roughly paralleled Al's career, although he started a few years before me. When I showed up in media centers as a know-nothing reporter more used to watching balls bounce than cars race, I soon targeted Al as someone who could enlighten me on the finer points of writing about people who drove cars at ridiculous speeds and cheated death pretty much every weekend.
Pearce knew more about stock car racing and its history than most of his contemporaries. He wrote with confidence and flair and was among the best at wandering around garage areas like a detective, soon returning to the media center with more notes than he could fit into the day's word allotment.
He didn't start as an expert, however. A famous Pearce tale, one he told with a certain amount of relish, involved one of his first races in the late 1960s. Richard Petty won the race. Nothing unusual in those days. Pearce, a raw rookie, watched Petty climb out of the winning car through the window. "Mr. Petty," he said. "Why did you come out of the window instead of opening the door?" As Al would find out, much to his embarrassment, race-car "doors" are part of the solid car body and do not 'open" in the same way as those on passenger cars.
Al's questions would get much better over the years.
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nas...CoHw2jRy7rxgU4JAYV_aem_VY4X-o_uKBkzS9jfRyU9HA
For much of his journalism career, at every NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway, Al Pearce occupied the first seat on the last row near the podium in the infield media center.
The landscape was familiar for those passing through, or stopping by. Al always had a cup of soda or tea. Near the screen of his well-traveled laptop, he had used a marker to write "SAVE SAVE SAVE," a forever reminder to protect his stories by "saving" them after he had written several paragraphs. This was a result of the loss of a particularly long story to one computer demon or another. "A lesson I learned a long time ago," he would say.
Scattered around his laptop would be a smattering of notes that pertained either to the story he was writing or to future stories. He was a relentless researcher and number hound, chasing statistics across a series of races or looking for information that might prove one point or another.
When NASCAR next races at Daytona, that seat on the last row will be empty. Al Pearce died Wednesday, his fragile heart finally giving up at the age of 82.
Virtually every day for most of the past 60 years, Al had pecked away at a computer, reporting, analyzing, criticizing, and puzzling over the ups and downs of a sport he came to love. He was putting nouns and verbs together almost to the end, working on yet another in a line of thousands of stories he wrote for this website and Autoweek magazine over more than a half-century of journalism.
My time in the auto racing game roughly paralleled Al's career, although he started a few years before me. When I showed up in media centers as a know-nothing reporter more used to watching balls bounce than cars race, I soon targeted Al as someone who could enlighten me on the finer points of writing about people who drove cars at ridiculous speeds and cheated death pretty much every weekend.
Pearce knew more about stock car racing and its history than most of his contemporaries. He wrote with confidence and flair and was among the best at wandering around garage areas like a detective, soon returning to the media center with more notes than he could fit into the day's word allotment.
He didn't start as an expert, however. A famous Pearce tale, one he told with a certain amount of relish, involved one of his first races in the late 1960s. Richard Petty won the race. Nothing unusual in those days. Pearce, a raw rookie, watched Petty climb out of the winning car through the window. "Mr. Petty," he said. "Why did you come out of the window instead of opening the door?" As Al would find out, much to his embarrassment, race-car "doors" are part of the solid car body and do not 'open" in the same way as those on passenger cars.
Al's questions would get much better over the years.
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/nas...CoHw2jRy7rxgU4JAYV_aem_VY4X-o_uKBkzS9jfRyU9HA
Updated information on services for Al:
The family will welcome friends on Tuesday, June 24, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Peninsula Funeral Home, 11144 Warwick Blvd., Newport News, Va. 23601. A funeral will be held on Wednesday, June 25, at 11:00 a.m. at Hilton Presbyterian Church, 34 Main St., Newport News, Va. 23601.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the C.J. Woollum Victory Fund, Christopher Newport University, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, Va. 23606; Victory Junction, 4500 Adam's Way, Randleman, N.C. 27317; Hilton Presbyterian Church; The Blue Stocking, Presbyterian College, 503 S. Broad Street, Clinton, S.C. 29235; or a charity of your choice.
The family will welcome friends on Tuesday, June 24, from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Peninsula Funeral Home, 11144 Warwick Blvd., Newport News, Va. 23601. A funeral will be held on Wednesday, June 25, at 11:00 a.m. at Hilton Presbyterian Church, 34 Main St., Newport News, Va. 23601.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the C.J. Woollum Victory Fund, Christopher Newport University, 1 Avenue of the Arts, Newport News, Va. 23606; Victory Junction, 4500 Adam's Way, Randleman, N.C. 27317; Hilton Presbyterian Church; The Blue Stocking, Presbyterian College, 503 S. Broad Street, Clinton, S.C. 29235; or a charity of your choice.
Bringing this back to the top, since services for Al are Tuesday and Wednesday this week.
It is behind a paywall, but Marty O'Brien of the Daily Press wrote a very nice tribute to Al today.
Appreciation: A NASCAR media giant, Al Pearce will be remembered for his generosity as much as his writing
It is behind a paywall, but Marty O'Brien of the Daily Press wrote a very nice tribute to Al today.
Appreciation: A NASCAR media giant, Al Pearce will be remembered for his generosity as much as his writing
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