Remembering Ken Squier
• Motor Racing Network (MRN) is saddened to announce that its co-founder and first anchor, Ken Squier passed away on Wednesday evening, Nov. 15 at the age of 88. Squier, also known for his time broadcasting NASCAR on the CBS Television Network, and later with TBS, had just entered hospice care earlier that day after a lengthy series of illnesses.
It was Squier, a 2018 inductee into the NASCAR Hall of Fame, who was personally selected by NASCAR Founder Bill France Sr., to build a nationwide network of radio stations to cover the growing sport of stock car racing. Of course, Squier started with the obvious first affiliates — his family-owned WDEV-AM & FM/Waterbury, VT, and WNDB-AM/Daytona Beach — both of which still air MRN programming today, before going on to add hundreds more stations to air the very first MRN broadcast of the Daytona 500 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,” said Chris Schwartz, President of Motor Racing Network. “His passion for stock car racing contributed mightily to its rapid growth throughout his 70-plus year career.” Schwartz added, “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.”
Motor Racing Network plans to share retrospectives of Ken Squier’s life on MRN’s signature program, NASCAR LIVE on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at 7pm ET, during the NASCAR Champions Celebration & Awardsbroadcast on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7pm ET, and again during the 2024 NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony broadcast on on Jan. 19, 2024 at 8pm ET.
For more information, please contact Bob Quick, MRN Director Radio Partnerships, at bquick@mrn.com or 704-262-6713.
