CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) -- Tom Higgins, a journalist who covered NASCAR for 33 years at the Charlotte Observer and was inducted into the auto racing series' Hall of Fame, has died. He was 80.
The Observer said Higgins died Tuesday. He suffered a stroke last August.
Tom was amazing. He will be missed. https://t.co/b2xvrGwcI5
— Dale Earnhardt Jr. (@DaleJr) July 31, 2018
Higgins covered NASCAR at the Observer from 1964, the early days of the stock car series, until 1997, when the sport began to expand beyond the South. Higgins was prolific, often writing four or five byline stories per day; his personal record was 12.
Sad to hear of Tom Higgins? passing, but will always be appreciative of his coverage of #NASCAR and its rise to prominence. Tom wielded words with aplomb, the same way the sport?s most iconic drivers wielded their racecars. He will be missed, but certainly not forgotten. https://t.co/HS1hdmFvM5
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) July 31, 2018
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NASCAR Chairman Brian France called Higgins "a media giant" and said Higgins' was "a must-read journalist whose reporting was rightly taken as gospel." He also covered outdoors for the Observer.
Higgins in 2015 was the fourth recipient of the Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. He was honored during that year's induction ceremony and was featured in an exhibit at the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte.
We join the entire #NASCAR and motorsports community in mourning the loss of legendary journalist Tom Higgins.
Following is a statement from Speedway Motorsports Executive Chairman O. Bruton Smith pic.twitter.com/twLUQ67bTC
— Charlotte Motor Speedway (@CLTMotorSpdwy) July 31, 2018
Higgins is survived by two children, eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. Funeral arrangements were pending.
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