Overview
- Waid died on Monday, June 15, 2026, in North Carolina after a lengthy illness tied to the after-effects of cancer.
- He began covering NASCAR in 1972 for the Martinsville Bulletin and the Roanoke Times before leading Grand National Scene/NASCAR Scene for nearly 30 years.
- Waid served multiple terms as president of the National Motorsports Press Association, adding up to 12 years of leadership in the trade group.
- His honors included the NMPA’s George Cunningham Writer of the Year, the Henry T. McLemore Award, induction into the NMPA Hall of Fame and the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Squier‑Hall Award, with sources differing on whether that award came in 2018 or 2019.
- Colleagues have issued tributes, funeral plans remain pending, and family requests ask that donations be made to Victory Junction or cancer treatment organizations in lieu of flowers.