Legendary NASCAR Reporter Dead On Thursday

Over the past couple of hours, countless NASCAR reporters have shared their fondest memories of Pearce.  

"I'm going to miss my friend so much," Matt Weaver wrote on X. "Al Pearce didn't like me at first. When Autoweek hired me, he thought they were pushing him out, as if I could ever replace what he's meant to that brand and the industry. I was just happy that I could work with him. Over the next decade, Al warmed up to me over his most grumpy crotchety years. He called me Matthew and I loved it."

"Al Pearce covered 56 Daytona 500s and more than 90 Cup Series races at Richmond alone during one of the longest careers for any NASCAR writer," Jeff Gluck of The Athletic said. "He served in Vietnam and is a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. But what I’ll remember most about Al is how willing he was to help me as a young, anonymous writer just trying to break into the business. When I was often paying my own way to races in the early days, he’d let me crash on hotel room floors or make sure I was included in the plan if he was staying at a friend’s house near the racetrack. He would pick me up in his hometown of Rocky Mount, N.C. (where I worked at the local newspaper) en route from Virginia to places like Darlington and give me a ride to the track, with a stop for Eastern N.C. barbecue along the way. He never asked for anything in return. In his later, crankier years he’d give me crap for being 'big time.' But I know deep down he understood how much I appreciated him — and always will. I‘ll miss you, Al." 

Pearce is survived by his wife, Francie, and their daughter, Annie. 

Our thoughts are with Pearce's loved ones.