Top Five NASCAR TV Pit Reporters of All-Time
By Alex Herbst
Chris Economaki
If Dick Berggren is the greatest pit reporter in modern NASCAR television, then Chris Economaki is the greatest motorsports reporter of all-time. Covering the sport of racing for over seventy years and on over half a dozen platforms, there will never be another man in the auto racing world like Chris Economaki.
The legendary career of Economaki began at the mere age of 14, when his first column was published in the National Auto Racing News newspaper. He quickly rose through the ranks at the paper to become editor in 1950. But the coming years would yield a major change in how motorsports is covered, and a new opportunity for Economaki to reach millions of viewers.
As television grew throughout America, coverage of auto racing on television with other sports was in its infancy. Chris Economaki became the national expert on all things motorsports, working on ABC’s Wide World of Sports for over 23 years. During his time on the program, he covered everything from the Daytona 500 to demolition derbies. He reported on the Indianapolis 500, the Bathurst 1000, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and called a number of Formula One races on ESPN. There was almost no form of auto racing that Economaki did not cover.
Late in his career, the legendary reporter became an encyclopedia of racing knowledge. In fact, Microsoft asked Economaki to write the motorsports section of the Encarta encyclopedia. He would also be named “The Dean of American Motorsports” by the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 2007.
Economaki passed away in 2012, but the bar he set for reporters in the racing world still stands. If anyone is aspiring to become a great reporter in racing, whether on television, radio, print, or online, Chris Economaki remains the high water mark that perhaps no one will ever surpass.
Next: Mike Masarro Leaves NASCAR on NBC
Who among our list is your favorite pit reporter of all-time in NASCAR? Are any of the rising stars on pit road today going to land on this list someday? Be sure to stay tuned to Beyond the Flag for even more offseason coverage before the cars return to Daytona in February.