NASCAR on FOX talent react to the passing of Steve Byrnes
Steve Byrnes wore a lot of hats: father, husband, journalist, mentor, friend. On the day of his passing, FOXSports.com reached out to some of his on-air colleagues to share the thoughts on the man we all admired and respected so much.
Danielle Trotta, co-host NASCAR Race Hub:
"I met Steve in 2010. I'd been hired to be a reporter on Race Hub and about six months later, David Hill had named Steve as the permanent host of the show. I came into the sport and I knew nothing about it. I didn't know where to start, I didn't know which end was up. And Steve Byrnes was my savior. He taught me how to come into this sport with humility and how to go through it and gain respect. Steve was in this business for all the right reasons. It wasn't about ego, it wasn't about money. He never felt he was better than anybody else. Steve took tremendous pride in his work, and it was important for Steve to do things the right way, and I think that really resonated in his personal life as well. He was a good man. He was a good father. He was a good husband. Work and family are what meant the most to Steve. But it's interesting: The order of it prior to 2012 may have been work and family on an even level. And when he came back after his first battle with cancer, he had told me that he had his wires crossed. That's why in the last few years of his life, his motto was 'be present.' And he would say that a lot. I'm glad that in his final few years, he came full circle and he really realized what was most important."
Adam Alexander, co-host NASCAR Race Hub:
"Someone asked me one word to describe Steve, and to me it's 'dedication.' Steve was dedicated to NASCAR for 30 years. It's hard to balance the personalities in the garage. But I think Steve's ability to do that and his dedication to NASCAR were unbelievable. He was dedicated to his job here on the TV side. He was always prepared and never wanted to do anything without researching it from every angle. What I have learned most throughout this process is Steve's dedication for his family, for Karen and Bryson. And some of those pictures that will just rip your heart out -- that he's a dedicated father and husband."
Larry McReynolds, FOX Sports analyst:
"There's a ton of media that walks in and out of that garage area every single race weekend, myself included. But I don't think there is anyone that the competitors respected more than Steve Byrnes. He's been a role model for me in many ways. His preparation for every show -- it doesn't matter if it was a "Race Hub" show on a Monday, an XFINITY Series practice show or the Daytona 500 -- his preparation was unbelievable, second to none. But the biggest thing I think about Steve Byrnes has nothing to do with the actual work that he did. And quite honestly, I wish that I could be just half the person that Steve Byrnes was in this capacity. And it's what an unbelievable job he did every day, every week of making sure he found the balance between his professional life and his family time with Karen and Bryson. Obviously, he loved his work. But he loved his family more, and it shone through very brightly."
Jeff Hammond, analyst, NASCAR Race Hub:
"I watched the man throughout my broadcasting career always be a consummate professional and always be willing to help people. When he had his first bout with cancer, another gentleman in the sport -- and I'm going to leave him anonymous at this time -- had some of the same problems Steve did. He reached out to me to see if Steve would talk to him. I said, 'Sure, he will. He cares about people.' And, sure enough, in true Steve Byrnes form, he was able to calm this individual's worries, gave him insight on what to expect from the treatments and everything the doctors were doing with him. Today, that gentleman called me to tell me thank you and tell me how sorry he was for our loss. And he reminded me what a great person Steve was. Because even though Steve was fighting cancer, still, in his own way, he was able to help somebody else get through it. And today that gentlemen is doing quite well and he gives so much thanks to Steve Byrnes and his friendship. And those two people have never met. That's the kind of man Steve Byrnes is: He would help a stranger in his time of need, and that to me is the mark of a truly special person."
Alan Cavanna, reporter, NASCAR Race Hub:
"Steve was one of the nicest people to meet you could ever ask for. In 2003, I was a production assistant for FOX, filling the food bowl for Larry McReynolds, Darrell Waltrip and Mike Joy up in the booth. In the food tent in the TV compound, I met Steve Byrnes and told him all I ever wanted to do was be a NASCAR television reporter. And he gave me his business card and told me to keep in touch, and I thought that was the coolest thing. I carried it my wallet forever. I still have it in there and I never took it out. I loved to share the story when I got the job at FOX, because he was always helpful, always kind. That was really inspiring to me. He could have been very intimidating. but he was so accommodating. And that's what I'll always remember. And with so much going on at the track that day we met, all he wanted to talk about was his new son, Bryson, who was very young. That always stuck with me. Steve was in his 40s when Bryson was born and you can just tell that was the best moment of his life. After everything that he had accomplished, that was the thing that put the biggest smile on his face."
Kaitlyn Vincie, reporter, NASCAR Race Hub:
"Steve was a special guy. He was special to all of us, because he was so helpful all of the time. And I think that was kind of rare in this business and this industry as well. That's what stands out the most to me about Steve -- he would always take time out of his day to help other people. He certainly did that with me when I was first coming along and expressed an interest to him in what I wanted to do. I find it very rare that people do that. One of my earliest memories of Steve was getting to shadow him on pit road with Walter Cox, his longtime pit spotter. They were like the best duo on pit road. I went with him a couple of times because I had told Steve I was interested in doing pit road reporting, and he said, 'Yeah, why don't you come along and see what it's like? I can try and teach you a few things.' Looking back on that, I was learning from one of the very best, and that was evident from the respect everyone has for him -- the competitors, fellow media, the viewers, the fans. Everybody has respect for Steve Byrnes."
