Steve Waid, one of the most familiar names in NASCAR reporting, died Monday at the age of 77. The sad news was announced on The Scene Vault Podcast on X following a long battle with health issues attributed to an earlier Cancer diagnosis. His passing marks the loss of a journalist who spent more than fifty years documenting the sport from the inside out.
Waid began covering NASCAR in 1972, a time when the series was still largely regional and far from the national spotlight it would later reach. He started at the Martinsville Bulletin and later moved to the Roanoke Times, where he helped introduce readers to a sport that was beginning to grow beyond its Southern roots. His career took a turn when he joined Grand National Scene, the publication that would eventually become NASCAR Scene. He spent nearly three decades there, becoming one of the most recognizable reporters in the garage area.
Over the years, Waid earned a reputation for being steady, fair, and thorough. Drivers and team members trusted him, and fans relied on his work to understand not just the results, but the stories behind them. He covered the sport through eras of major change, from the rise of national television coverage to the expansion of the schedule and the growth of NASCAR’s fan base. His reporting helped document that evolution in real time.
Waid’s work has easily earned him some of the highest honors in the world of motorsports journalism. In 2019, he received the Squier‑Hall Award for Media Excellence, which placed him in the NASCAR Hall of Fame alongside the sport’s most influential broadcasters and writers. He served as president of the National Motorsports Press Association for 12 years and received several of the group’s top awards, including the George Cunningham Award as Writer of the Year and the Henry T. McLemore Award for lifetime achievement. He also co‑wrote Junior Johnson: Brave in Life with fellow journalist Tom Higgins, a book that remains a staple for fans interested in NASCAR’s early years.
Even after stepping away from daily reporting, Waid stayed active in the sport. He co‑hosted The Scene Vault Podcast with Rick Houston, where he shared stories from NASCAR’s past, and he continued writing through his “Waid’s World” column for Frontstretch. His final piece for the site, published earlier this year, reflected the same steady voice that defined his career. Steve Waid leaves behind a legacy built on decades of honest reporting and a deep appreciation for the sport he covered.
His influence and contributions to journalism in motorsports and across NASCAR will continue to be felt for years to come. He earned the trust of competitors and colleagues alike by showing up, doing the work, and telling the stories that mattered. Generations of reporters who followed him learned what the job should look like by watching how he carried himself in the garage and in the press box.
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