Dick Berggren Named Ninth Squier-Hall Award Recipient
Covered All Levels of NASCAR as Pit Reporter and Magazine Editor
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (July 5, 2019) — Long-time NASCAR pit reporter and magazine editor Dick Berggren has been named the recipient of the 2020 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. Berggren becomes the ninth journalist to win the prestigious award named after Ken Squier and Barney Hall, the first two recipients.
Berggren will be honored during NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities on Jan. 31, 2020 and featured in an exhibit in the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Tickets to the Induction Weekend events go on sale to the public on Saturday, July 6 at 10 a.m. A special presale is available to NASCAR Hall of Fame members through Friday, July 5 at 11:59 p.m. Tickets to Induction Ceremony events begin at $75 per person (plus tax and applicable service fees).
“For more than three decades, Dick Berggren helped bring fans closer to the action across all levels of motorsports,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France. “Though best known for his role as a pit reporter for NASCAR national series races, Berggren’s dedication to the grassroots level of racing helped shape his legend. His work with short track racing magazines brought life to the many series that make up the soul of NASCAR.”
Easily identified by his trademark flat cap, Berggren was a fixture on NASCAR television coverage from 1981 through his retirement in 2012. He began his television career as a pit reporter for ESPN in 1981 and appeared on CBS, TBS and TNN broadcasts before closing his career with a 12-year stint as the lead pit announcer for NASCAR on FOX.
Beyond his television work, Berggren dedicated his craft to short tracks, simultaneous serving as editors of both Stock Car Racing and Open Wheel magazines. He also went on to found Speedway Illustrated, which touts itself as “America’s favorite monthly short track racing magazine.”
A college professor by trade, Berggren began his motorsports announcing career as the PA announcer at Arundel Speedway in Maine. Prior to that, he raced a variety of cars, including stock cars and modifieds.
Berggren is a member of the Eastern Motorsport Press Association (EMPA) Hall of Fame and was named National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Writer of the Year in 1999.
Berggren was among eight nominees voted upon by a panel comprised of NASCAR and NASCAR Hall of Fame executives, journalists, public relations representatives, and former drivers. The Squier-Hall Award was created in 2012 to honor the contributions of media to the success of the sport. Chris Economaki, Tom Higgins, Steve Byrnes, Benny Phillips, Norma “Dusty” Brandel, and Steve Waid also have won the award.
The other seven nominees for the 2020 award were:
Russ Catlin, one of the best-known early racing writers and historians; editor of Speed Age Magazine
George Cunningham, long-time beat writer for The Charlotte Observer, Atlanta Constitution and NASCAR Scene; is the namesake for the annual NMPA award for Excellence in Writing
Shav Glick, covered motorsports for the Los Angeles Times for 37 years bringing NASCAR coverage to the West Coast
Mike Harris, spent 30 years as the lead motorsports writer for the Associated Press
Bob Jenkins, served as the lead NASCAR lap-by-lap anchor at ESPN from 1982-2000.
Bob Moore, spent more than 20 years as a NASCAR beat writer including stints with the Daytona Beach News-Journal and The Charlotte Observer
- Taylor Warren, best known for his three-wide photo of the 1959 Daytona 500 finish, he covered every Daytona 500 until his death in 2008.
About NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).
About the NASCAR Hall of Fame
Conveniently located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina, the NASCAR Hall of Fame is an interactive, entertainment attraction honoring the history and heritage of NASCAR. The high-tech venue, designed to educate and entertain race fans and non-fans alike, opened May 11, 2010, and includes artifacts, hands-on exhibits, a 278-person state-of-the-art theater, Hall of Honor, Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant, NASCAR Hall of Fame Gear Shop and NASCAR Productions-operated broadcast studio. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is open daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for summer hours and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. for winter hours. On designated Group Hot Pass Tuesdays, the facility is open for scheduled group visits and events only. An attached parking garage is available on Brevard Street. The 5-acre site also includes a privately developed 19-story office tower and 102,000-square-foot expansion to the Charlotte Convention Center, highlighted by a 40,000-square-foot ballroom. The NASCAR Hall of Fame is owned by the City of Charlotte, licensed by NASCAR and operated by the Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority. For more information, visit nascarhall.com.
Sources: Josh Hamilton/NASCAR Communications PR