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Radio Commentator Barney Hall Dies At 83
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Barney Hall, long known for his work as a commentator with the Motor Racing Network, passed away Tuesday due to complications from a recent medical procedure. He was 83 years old.
Hall began his broadcast career in the 1950s working at local radio stations in North Carolina.
Hall joined the Motor Racing Network first as a turn announcer and then moved to the booth in the late 1970s.
Hall called NASCAR events from MRN’s booth for more than 50 years, before retiring on July 5, 2014 following the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. In 2013, the NASCAR Hall of Fame created the Squier-Hall Award for Media Excellence, naming Hall and Ken Squier as the inaugural recipients.
Hall’s NASCAR broadcast career began almost by accident. The recipient of free tickets as a local radio personality, he started attending races in the late 1950s. He called his first Daytona 500 in 1960, and was offered $75 for a weekend of public address duties at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway months later.
That led to a job with what was known as the Daytona 500 Network, operating out of WNDB in Daytona Beach, Florida—a forerunner of the Motor Racing Network.
“First and foremost, I want to offer our most sincere condolences to the longtime love of Barney’s life and best friend for more than 35 years, Karen Carrier, and their families on Barney’s passing,” said NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. “Barney’s accomplishments and contributions to NASCAR are immeasurable and without parallel. Covering NASCAR for nearly 55 years through seven decades, he became known by millions as ‘The Voice of NASCAR.’ He was that recognizable voice that you would hear with every broadcast. You may not have known the face, which he would joke with his ever-present wit that it was ‘made for radio,’ but his voice was unmistakable.
“Whether you met him or not, you felt like you knew him. His easy, conversational delivery made you feel like you were listening to one of your closest friends or relatives tell you a story—the story of the very NASCAR race he was describing. He could paint a picture that would make Picasso or Rembrandt proud and tell a story that would awe Hemingway or Twain. He was not just a trusted voice to listeners and race fans, he became what many believe is the most trusted journalist in NASCAR by the sport’s competitors for decades. Barney has also tutored dozens of broadcasters throughout his career, many of whom you hear on the air today on both radio and television.
“Barney achieved one of the ultimate compliments for his life’s work and honored his commitment to NASCAR when the sport named the award for media excellence presented annually at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony after him and another legendary broadcaster and former colleague, Ken Squier. Hall and Squier were the inaugural recipients of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence in 2013. NASCAR has lost its most recognizable voice and one of the greatest broadcasters ever of any sport; and I have lost one of my dearest friends. His legacy and legendary calls of NASCAR racing will live in our minds, our archives and at the NASCAR Hall of Fame forever.”
Hall began his broadcast career in the 1950s working at local radio stations in North Carolina.
Hall joined the Motor Racing Network first as a turn announcer and then moved to the booth in the late 1970s.
Hall called NASCAR events from MRN’s booth for more than 50 years, before retiring on July 5, 2014 following the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway. In 2013, the NASCAR Hall of Fame created the Squier-Hall Award for Media Excellence, naming Hall and Ken Squier as the inaugural recipients.
Hall’s NASCAR broadcast career began almost by accident. The recipient of free tickets as a local radio personality, he started attending races in the late 1950s. He called his first Daytona 500 in 1960, and was offered $75 for a weekend of public address duties at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway months later.
That led to a job with what was known as the Daytona 500 Network, operating out of WNDB in Daytona Beach, Florida—a forerunner of the Motor Racing Network.
“First and foremost, I want to offer our most sincere condolences to the longtime love of Barney’s life and best friend for more than 35 years, Karen Carrier, and their families on Barney’s passing,” said NASCAR Hall of Fame Executive Director Winston Kelley. “Barney’s accomplishments and contributions to NASCAR are immeasurable and without parallel. Covering NASCAR for nearly 55 years through seven decades, he became known by millions as ‘The Voice of NASCAR.’ He was that recognizable voice that you would hear with every broadcast. You may not have known the face, which he would joke with his ever-present wit that it was ‘made for radio,’ but his voice was unmistakable.
“Whether you met him or not, you felt like you knew him. His easy, conversational delivery made you feel like you were listening to one of your closest friends or relatives tell you a story—the story of the very NASCAR race he was describing. He could paint a picture that would make Picasso or Rembrandt proud and tell a story that would awe Hemingway or Twain. He was not just a trusted voice to listeners and race fans, he became what many believe is the most trusted journalist in NASCAR by the sport’s competitors for decades. Barney has also tutored dozens of broadcasters throughout his career, many of whom you hear on the air today on both radio and television.
“Barney achieved one of the ultimate compliments for his life’s work and honored his commitment to NASCAR when the sport named the award for media excellence presented annually at the NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony after him and another legendary broadcaster and former colleague, Ken Squier. Hall and Squier were the inaugural recipients of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence in 2013. NASCAR has lost its most recognizable voice and one of the greatest broadcasters ever of any sport; and I have lost one of my dearest friends. His legacy and legendary calls of NASCAR racing will live in our minds, our archives and at the NASCAR Hall of Fame forever.”
