Remembering NASCAR Hall of Fame announcer Ken Squier
Ken Squier, the NASCAR Hall of Fame announcer who helped boost the sport to national popularity, has died. He was 88.
Squier defined what it meant to broadcast a NASCAR race. In 1970, he co-founded the Motor Racing Network with Bill France.
Nine years later, Squier successfully pitched the idea of televising a NASCAR Cup Series race flag-to-flag on national TV. Lending his voice to the 1979 Daytona 500, with the iconic fight and Richard Petty’s triumphant win, he helped paint an introductory picture of NASCAR for its newfound mainstream audience.
A pioneer, Squier brought the in-car camera to NASCAR broadcasts in 1982. He also called every Daytona 500 from 1979 to 1997.
Squier saw the rise of Dale Earnhardt, calling the first laps he ever led in that famous first 500. 15 years later, it was Jeff Gordon, the Wonder Boy he called home victorious for the first time in the 1994 Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Now, when you think of NASCAR, it’s hard not to think of Earnhardt, Gordon and races broadcast flag-to-flag with on-board cameras giving audiences a glimpse at what their superheroes are doing behind the wheel.
Even beyond his time in the booth, Ken Squier was a voice in the moments that left everyone speechless. Squier provided insight after the 2001 Daytona 500 to grasp what was, and still is, ungraspable.
Squier is the only person inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame on their merits as a broadcast announcer. The 2018 Hall of Fame inductee, along with the late Barney Hall, is the namesake to the Squier-Hall Award for Media Excellence.
To describe Squier as a broadcast announcer or a pioneer may not even do him justice. To many, he is NASCAR history – and history that will never be forgotten.
Godspeed to the common man who did uncommon things.
NASCAR community remembers Ken Squier
Jim France, Chairman and CEO of NASCAR:
“Though he never sat behind the wheel of a stock car, Ken Squier contributed to the growth of NASCAR as much as any competitor. Ken was a superb storyteller and his unmistakable voice is the soundtrack to many of NASCAR’s greatest moments. His calls on TV and radio brought fans closer to the sport, and for that he was a fan favorite. Ken knew no strangers, and he will be missed by all. On behalf of the France family and all of NASCAR, I offer my condolences to the family and friends of Ken Squier.”
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Jonathan Fjeld View All
Jonathan Fjeld is the co-owner of the The Racing Experts, LLC. He has been with TRE since 2010.
A Twin Valley, MN, native, Fjeld became a motorsports fan at just three years old (first race was the 2002 Pennsylvania 500). He worked as a contributor and writer for TRE from 2010-18. Since then, he has stepped up and covered 24 NASCAR race weekends and taken on a larger role with TRE. He became the co-owner and managing editor in 2023 and has guided the site to massive growth in that time.
Fjeld has covered a wide array of stories and moments over the years, including Kevin Harvick's final Cup Series season, the first NASCAR national series disqualification in over 50 years, Shane van Gisbergen's stunning win in Chicago and the first Cup Series race at Road America in 66 years – as well as up-and-coming drivers' stories and stories from inside the sport, like the tech it takes for Hendrick Motorsports to remain a top-tier team.
Currently, he resides in Albuquerque, N.M., where he works for KOB 4, an NBC station. He works as a digital producer and does on-air reports. He loves spending time with friends and family, playing and listening to music, exploring new places, being outdoors, reading books and writing among other activities. You can email him at fjeldjonathan@gmail.com