STEVE BYRNES - 04/14/1959 - 04/21/2015
an American television announcer and producer from New Carrollton, Maryland. He graduated from the University of Maryland. Afterward, he began his television career as a sports producer where he covered several NFL teams. In 1985, he began producing and hosting NASCAR segments. He began his television career shortly after graduating college. He was first hired as a weekend sports producer where he covered the Washington Redskins, Washington Bullets, Maryland, Georgetown, the Baltimore Orioles, and other sports. While employed there he was a sports reporter and weekend anchor for the NBC affiliate until January 1985. Afterward, Sunbelt Video hired him, in which he hosted a NASCAR news magazine with Ned Jarrett, which marked the beginning of producing and hosting NASCAR segments. He has also announced what was happening on pit road for World Sports Enterprises. Some stations that he has done shows on include WTBS, TNN (now Spike), and CBS. In 2006, Byrnes was given an extra
assignment as one of the network's available play-by-play broadcasters for Fox's NFL broadcasts, joining Bill Maas for selected games when Fox had seven or eight games in a given week. He worked for Fox Sports 1 as lead host of NASCAR Race Hub and served as a pit reporter for NASCAR on Fox. Byrnes also served as a fill-in studio host and lap-by-lap announcer for NASCAR on Fox. In late-August 2013, Byrnes was diagnosed with an early stage of head and neck cancer. After chemotherapy for the rest of the year, Byrnes was deemed cancer-free in early 2014. However, later that year in September, he was diagnosed with a recurrence of stage 4 head and neck cancer; on October 9, Fox Sports announced that he had decided to take an indefinite leave of absence from work in order to focus on his treatment. On April 10, 2015, it was announced that, in coordination with Bristol Motor Speedway, Fox, and Stand Up to Cancer, the 2015 Food City 500 would be renamed the Food City 500 In Support Of Steve Byrnes And Stand Up To Cancer; the race would feature tributes to his legacy as a NASCAR broadcaster, along with his 56th birthday, which fell during the week prior to the race. Two days after the tribute race, Byrnes died early on April 21, 2015 of complications from his cancer in Fort Mill, South Carolina, and was survived by his wife Karen and son Bryson. In tribute, drivers Josh Wise and Clint Bowyer added photos of Byrnes and his son Bryson to their cars' hoods for the Toyota Owners 400. After Byrnes was invited to become part of the voting panel for the 2016 NASCAR Hall of Fame; on May 20, 2015, Bryson delivered his father's completed ballot to the accountants that tally the votes, completing Steve's final duties
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