Chris Economaki was 'the Dean of American Motorsports Journalism,' editing National Speed Sport News for decades and broadcasting races on television from the 1960s onward. His encyclopedic knowledge and distinctive voice made him the sport's most trusted reporter for half a century.
Economaki died in 2012 at 91 in Florida. He covered everything from the first Daytona 500 to the modern era, and no one ever covered it better.
At a Glance
- Born: October 15, 1920, Brooklyn, New York
- Died: September 28, 2012, Midland Park, New Jersey
- Age: 91
- Cause of death: Natural causes
Final Resting Place
Valleau Cemetery, Ridgewood, New Jersey.

Photo: Cindy via Find a Grave
From the Book
This profile is adapted from Legends at Rest: NASCAR Legends by Howard Wear.
Portrait: Photo by Sherry Lambert Stapleton (via Flickr), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Grave photo: Photo: Cindy via Find a Grave.