Ken Squier, a NASCAR Hall of Famer and motorsports broadcaster, has passed away. He was 88.

A co-founder of the Motor Racing Network, Squier provided motorsports commentary on radio and television for more than seven decades and called many iconic moments, including the 1979 Daytona 500­—NASCAR’s first nationally-televised race flag-to-flag. He was the lead announcer for the Daytona 500 on CBS for 19 consecutive seasons (1979-1997), later serving as a studio host until 2000 and in similar roles for TNN and TBS.

In honor of Squier and longtime Motor Racing Network announcer Barney Hall, NASCAR and the NASCAR Hall of Fame created the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence in 2013. The award aims to recognize contributions made to the sport of NASCAR by members of the media. Squier and Hall were the inaugural recipients of the award.

Squier was also inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2018, becoming the first media member to be enshrined.

For more information, visit the NASCAR Hall of Fame announcement or NASCAR’s tribute to Squier.