NASCAR has lost its legendary voice on Tuesday. Barney Hall, who broadcasted stock-car racing on radio for more than 54 years, passed away due to complications from a recent medical procedure. He was 83 years old.
If you listened to NASCAR races on the radio, you certainly heard Hall call the action for Motor Racing Network. He was a staple of MRN broadcasts going back to 1970. Even if you weren’t a fan of auto racing, chances are you heard Hall’s voice if you were turning the radio dial on a Sunday afternoon. And it’s a fair bet that his voice made you stop and listen because it sounded like an event, and Hall did such a good job of establishing the scene.
Some announcers make a sport better. Here's one. Barney Hall of MRN. https://t.co/SEJYsytNMP
— Paul Pabst (@PaulPabst) January 27, 2016
After serving four years in the Navy, Hall was a disc jockey in his hometown of Elkin, N.C. for 13 years before moving to calling races. Hall called his first Daytona 500 on the radio in 1960, only missing the broadcast four times in the event’s 57-year history. He was also the first public address announcer at Bristol Motor Speedway when that facility opened in 1961.
Thank you Barney. You were a blessing and will be missed. https://t.co/0n52ssKUEQ
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) January 27, 2016
No one painted pictures with his words like Barney Hall did. He made me feel like I was there, at the track, right where I wanted to be.
— Michael Waltrip (@MW55) January 27, 2016
“In a world that can have its share of egos, Barney’s humor and humility kept everyone around him firmly grounded,” said MRN president David Hyatt in an official statement.
“His smooth and easygoing delivery was the mark by which others were measured. His co-anchor, Joe Moore, once commented that ‘Barney was the calming force in the midst of a raging storm and simply by listening to him, you knew there was safe passage through it.’ Barney Hall was the true voice of NASCAR and although his own voice has gone silent, his presence will live on in the many current motor sports broadcasters who learned at the knee of such a great storyteller.”
Hall announced his final race in July 2014, calling Aric Almirola’s rain-shortened victory at Daytona International Speedway. Prior to the race, the legendary broadcaster received a standing ovation during the drivers’ and crew chiefs’ meetings. He was inducted into the Motorsports Press Association Hall of Fame in 2007 and in 2014, the NASCAR Hall of Fame named its award for media excellence after Hall and fellow announcer Ken Squier.
Barney Hall – the Rembrandt and Picasso of painting a picture of NASCAR. The Hemingway and Twain of telling the story. RIP my dear friend.
— Winston Kelley (@WinstonKelley) January 27, 2016
