When my career as a motorsports journalist began in 1971 in the press box at Martinsville Speedway, there was Al.
I didn’t know who he was, but I decided to pay attention to him. After all, I was an inexperienced rookie with minimal knowledge of stock car racing.
Al, sitting behind me, seemed to know everything, judging from his comments about track maneuvers, pit stops and more.
During the post-race interview with winner Bobby Isaac, I stood silent, listening to Al’s questions and dutifully writing down Isaac’s answers. I figured this was the only way I’d be able to fashion a reasonably accurate story.
I found out later that Al was Al Pearce of the Newport News Daily Press. At the time, he was the most experienced and knowledgeable motorsports writer in Virginia.
He had already covered countless races at many venues on the NASCAR Cup Series circuit in addition to short tracks across Virginia.
When it came to coverage of the prestigious Daytona 500, Al was a seasoned veteran who rubbed shoulders with writers from New York, Indiana, Detroit and beyond.
I was impressed, to say the least. I thought it would be a good idea to get to know Al, because he surely could teach me a lot.
Getting to know him was easy. For all of his experience and stature, Al was simply down to earth. There wasn’t a pretentious bone in his body.
It wasn’t long before we were conversing like longtime friends. Early in our relationship, Al picked up on a nickname given me at Martinsville and called me Nutsy. In response, I called him Crazy Al.
It remained that way for decades afterward.
It’s not enough to say Al was dedicated to his job and the sport of stock car racing. It’s more accurate to say he was consumed by both.
In NASCAR, it didn’t matter where the race was held; Al was there. From Daytona International Speedway to Talladega Superspeedway and all points therein — Atlanta Motor Speedway, Darlington Raceway, Pocono Raceway and more — he was on hand to provide Newport News, and later Autoweek, with the needed coverage.
He shrewdly overcame expenses. He would stay with friends, share motel rooms with associates, eat at hamburger joints and often drive all night from a track to get home again.
I used to poke fun at him about it all. But then I realized something: Al didn’t have to do what he did. He did it because he wanted to do it. And the result was more coverage for his publications and, more importantly, for his readers.
I came to respect him for it.
And I came to respect him for much more.
Al became a regular on Kyle Petty’s Charity Ride Across America. I thought it was largely because he was an avid motorcyclist eager for adventure and the opportunity to write fresh stories.
That might have been, but for Al, it didn’t end there. He undertook the task of providing the ride with needed charity dollars by arranging a helmet to be signed by all past NASCAR champions.
Later, he expanded this to include Formula 1 champions.
It was an arduous undertaking. Al traveled across the country, as well as out of it, seeking the needed autographs. It was a time-consuming, expensive task.
And I readily admit it wasn’t one I would undertake.
But I’m not Al.
I wrote about his efforts and revealed he had gained my utmost respect. He let me know it meant a lot to him.
In later years, after Al had received numerous honors — chief among them enshrinement into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame — I asked him how much longer he was going to “chase racing.”
I told him that after all, he had done just about everything, been everywhere and met everyone. He had occupied his usual seat in the Daytona media center — last seat on the right side, nearest the podium — for well over 50 consecutive years, by my count.
He admitted he was slowing down. But he added: “If I can keep this up, that’s what I’m going to do.”
When Al passed away from a heart attack on April 9, he was still doing it. He had just sent an email to his fellow winners of the Motorsports Media Award of Excellence, instructing them to review their biographies.
Al was the voluntary director of the award and the man who oversaw its elections, updated plaques, their placement in speedway media centers and more.
Yes, Al was true to his word. He was still working.
Now his many friends and associates are thinking that when they walk into the next media center, there won’t be Al.
But when it comes to memories of a man who spent years of hard work and sacrifice to his career; who willingly took it upon himself to give to others and while doing so endeared himself to colleagues and readers alike …
There will always be Al.
Steve Waid has been in journalism since 1972, when he began his newspaper career at the Martinsville (Va.) Bulletin. He has spent over 40 years in motorsports journalism, first with the Roanoke Times-World News and later as publisher and vice president for NASCAR Scene and NASCAR Illustrated.
Steve has won numerous state sports writing awards and several more from the National Motorsports Press Association for his motorsports coverage, feature and column writing. For several years, Steve was a regular on “NASCAR This Morning” on FOX Sports Net and he is the co-author, with Tom Higgins, of the biography “Junior Johnson: Brave In Life.”
In January 2014, Steve was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame. And in 2019 he was presented the Squier-Hall Award by the NASCAR Hall of Fame for lifetime excellence in motorsports journalism. In addition to writing for Frontstretch, Steve is also the co-host of The Scene Vault Podcast.