The late T. Taylor Warren, whose famous photograph of the 1959 Daytona 500 finish helped determine the winner of the race, has been named the recipient of the 2023 Squier-Hall Award for NASCAR Media Excellence. Warren, who edged seven other similarly well-regarded nominees, is the first photojournalist to win the prestigious award named after Ken Squier and Barney Hall, the first two recipients.
Warren began photographing race cars at the Milwaukee Fairgrounds in 1948 and was hired by Bill France Sr. to photograph the Daytona Beach Road Course in 1952. He went on to become the track photographer at Daytona International Speedway, where he worked every Daytona 500 until his death in 2008.
“While T. Taylor Warren was best known for his photo of the 1959 Daytona 500 finish, his photographs brought NASCAR to our fans for nearly six decades,” said NASCAR Chairman and CEO Jim France. “Through his work for NASCAR, race tracks and countless motorsports outlets, his images were often the only way for fans to see the action from the race track.
“They say a picture is worth a thousand words,” France continued, “and when it comes to NASCAR photography, no one was more prolific.”
In addition to his work for NASCAR and tracks, Warren shot photos for several racing magazines, most notably Southern MotoRacing
Warren was honored over the years with several prestigious awards: In 2006, he became the first photographer to win the International Motorsports Hall of Fame’s Henry T. McLemore Award for achievement in journalism. He posthumously won the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) Myers Brothers Award in 2008 for outstanding contributions to the sport of stock car racing, and was inducted into the NMPA Hall of Fame in January 2009.
Warren will be feted during NASCAR Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony festivities on Jan. 20, 2023 and featured in a NHoF exhibit. Tickets to the Induction Weekend events are now available.
The other seven nominees for the 2023 award were:
* Russ Catlin, one of the best-known early racing writers and historians; editor of Speed Age Magazine
* George Cunningham, long-time beat writer for The Charlotte Observer, Atlanta Constitution and NASCAR Scene; is the namesake for the annual NMPA award for Excellence in Writing
* Shav Glick, who covered motorsports for the Los Angeles Times for 37 years, bringing NASCAR coverage to the West Coast
* Mike Harris, who spent 30 years as the lead motorsports writer for the Associated Press
* Bob Montgomery, co-founder and announcer for the Universal Racing Network
* Bob Moore, who spent more than 20 years as a NASCAR beat writer including stints with the Daytona Beach News-Journal and The Charlotte Observer
* Deb Williams, the first woman to receive the American Motorsports Media Award of Excellence.
For more information on the NASCAR Hall of Fame, click HERE.