Ed Hinton, a longtime motorsports reporter, passed away on Tuesday at the age of 76.
ESPN shared the news of his passing in an article on Saturday. In it, ESPN’s former motorsports editor K. Lee Davis, paid tribute to Hinton both personally and professionally.
“Ed wasn’t just a fine writer, he was a trusted friend,” Davis said. “His wife, Snow, was the beacon that drove him to be the best he could be, and his son Tyler was the light of his life. He was great under pressure, and in racing, there is always immense pressure. Most sports writers don’t encounter death all that often in their professional lives, but Ed did, and often. He handled it with grace, tenderness, but always a determination to answer the question of ‘why.’ “He wasn’t always liked, but he was always respected. He was the best of his generation, and a credit to ESPN.”
Hinton received several additional tributes on Saturday night, as news of his passing broke.
The NMPA is saddened to learn of the passing of veteran motorsports writer Ed Hinton.https://t.co/qbnWxmw1V9
— National Motorsports Press Association (@NMPAonline) February 8, 2025
RIP Ed Hinton. For the longest time, he covered motorsports with high journalism standards and objectivity.
Ed Hinton’s powerful profile of Wendell Scott in 1986: https://t.co/terP45sElK pic.twitter.com/2GfIgbpmvg
— nascarman (@nascarman_rr) February 9, 2025
Thinking of our storytelling and incredible writing friend Ed Hinton…he passed on Thursday.
Always enjoyed my time with him and when he and Robin were in the same room it was like one of those high speed ping pong matches. One story after another, after another! RIP Ed… pic.twitter.com/v6ZXMJFV53
— Steve H. Shunck (@SHUNCK) February 9, 2025
Sorry to learn of Ed Hinton’s passing. It was a helluva ride being his ESPN teammate. His work made a lot of motorsports people uncomfortable because he was always much more worried about writing what he believed than he was worried about hurting feelings. https://t.co/0IafAkADHE
— Ryan McGee (@ESPNMcGee) February 8, 2025
Sad news. Ed Hinton was as tenacious as they come. https://t.co/nFgZYEo9bN
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) February 8, 2025
Ed Hinton was a fearless, gum-shoe journalist!! What an honor it was to work with him & laugh with him. He loved a good joke. 🙏🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/AMTyIILTXD
— Malinda Adams (@MalindaAdams) February 9, 2025
So sorry to hear Ed Hinton has died. He was one of a kind, a pressbox tornado you don’t see anymore. His column after Dale Earnhardt died is one of the finest remembrances of that awful day. https://t.co/3RZ0nMnofH
— Jay Busbee (@jaybusbee) February 9, 2025
Gosh, this one stings. The influence and impact Ed Hinton had on me should not be lost on anyone who reads my work and consumed his.
Hinton and Robin Miller were my North Stars and the racing media world is a little less honest without them. https://t.co/sc23rvL7L6
— Matt Weaver (@MattWeaverRA) February 8, 2025
Oh, no. A titan of sportswriting.
I just recently had a conversation with a (younger than me) NASCAR fan about how Ed’s writing made me care about the sport. That guy had never heard of him.
Rest in peace. https://t.co/SLfktjSz8I
— Andy Hutchins (@AndyHutchins) February 8, 2025
Ed Hinton paved a path before anyone knew there was a path. https://t.co/wf3dS5bITt
— Armen Keteyian (@ArmenKeteyian) February 9, 2025
Hinton had a long career, spanning nearly 50 years. His stops included the Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Newsday, The Baltimore Sun, the Orlando Sentinel and South Florida Sun Sentinel. From 2008 until his retirement in 2014, Hinton worked at ESPN.
