Steve Waid

A familiar face in the NASCAR garage for nearly 50 years, Waid began covering motorsports in 1972 for the Martinsville Bulletin before a 10-year stint at the Roanoke Times & World News. In 1981, Waid moved to Grand National Scene, a weekly NASCAR publication – and the spot where Waid cemented his legacy as a NASCAR media giant. Waid would later become publisher of what became known as NASCAR Scene and the monthly magazine NASCAR Illustrated, remaining with the publications until his retirement from full-time reporting in 2010.

Waid, who served as president of the National Motorsports Press Association President (NMPA) for 12 years, has won several journalism awards, including the George Cunningham Award as NMPA Writer of the Year and the Henry T. McLemore Award for outstanding lifetime contributions to motorsports. In addition to penning widely read stories for daily, weekly and monthly publications, Waid co-authored a biography on Junior Johnson with fellow Squier-Hall Award recipient Tom Higgins.