Legendary NASCAR broadcaster Ken Squier has died after complications from a recent medical issue. He was 88 years old.
SiriusXM host and Motor Racing Network announcer Dave Moody shared on X, formerly Twitter, that Squier died late Wednesday evening.
Squier – alongside NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. – co-founded the Motor Racing Network in 1970.
“Whether from a bed of a logging truck at the Morrisville (VT) Speedway, or high atop the grandstands of ‘The Great American Race’ in Daytona, Ken Squier’s eloquent voice entertained and educated millions of race fans, no matter the medium. His passion for stock car racing contributed mightily to its rapid growth throughout his 70-plus year career,” said Motor Racing Network President Chris Schwartz.
“An entrepreneur to the end, Squier co-founded (along with Bill France, Sr.) the Motor Racing Network in 1970 and set the course that the network follows to this day. We will continue to honor his unique way of storytelling by bringing the excitement and passion of this incredible sport to core fans, casual fans, and first-time fans alike.”
From 1979 to 1997, Squier served as the lead commentator for NASCAR on CBS. He also served in the same capacity for TBS from 1983 to 1999.
Squier led the charge to bring full-length NASCAR races to a national audience with CBS. In its first broadcast of the sport, CBS presented the 1979 Daytona 500 to a nationwide audience with the East Coast undergoing a major snowstorm at the time. An estimated audience of 15 million watched as Squire called Richard Petty’s victory, with competitors Bobby Allison and Cale Yarborough crashing each other shy of the finish line before trading blows with one another after exiting their cars.
In addition to his legendary motorsports career, Squier also owned radio station WDEV in Waterbury, Vermont until 2017. His father, Lloyd, owned the station beginning in 1935 before the younger Squier took over upon his father’s death in 1979.
Ken Squier is a member of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America, the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame, the Vermont Broadcasters Hall of Fame, and the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame, among a bevy of other distinguished honors. He was named the Vermont Sportscaster of the Year in 1963, 1967, 1969, 1973, and 1997.
