Chris Economaki, Voice and Chronicler of Motorsport, Dead at 91
By David Green, Correspondent | Published Sep 28, 2012
Racing journalist and broadcaster Chris Economaki is dead at age 91.
Economaki covered racing of all sorts in a career that began in the 1930s.
He started hawking newspapers and advanced to become editor and publisher of National Speed Sport News.
RIDGEWOOD, New Jersey — Chris Economaki, the dean of American motorsports broadcasters and the unparalleled voice and chronicler of auto racing since the 1930s, died this morning. He was 91.
Economaki was an old-school reporter and writer who made the transition to television via his duties as announcer at various racetracks around the country. When ABC’s Wide World of Sports began carrying edited, tape-delayed coverage of auto racing in the 1960s, Economaki was the pit reporter. He moved to CBS when it began to produce extensive live coverage of NASCAR in 1979 and later to ESPN, announcing everything from stock cars to Formula 1, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and off-the-beaten-path events such as the East African Safari and Bathurst 1000.
His voice was distinctive and his direct, old-time newspaper style of interviewing made for distinctively flavored broadcast coverage.
