Former Daily Press and Times-Herald reporter and columnist Al Pearce has his own Cal Ripken-like consecutive appearances streak that leaves every other NASCAR journalist in the dust.
When the green flag drops on the 66th Daytona 500 on Sunday, it will mark Pearce’s 55th consecutive time covering the event. He covered the 500 for the Times-Herald and Daily Press from 1970-2004 before retiring, but continues to write for Auto Week magazine, where he began in 1974.
This year included, Pearce says he’s made the trip by auto to Daytona Beach at least 50 of those 55 times. That means he’s logged at least 71,500 miles, most of them on I-95, driving down and back for Daytona 500s.
Pearce, a Vietnam veteran, was as green as a leprechaun covering his first one in 1970, eight months after the Times-Herald hired him as motorsports reporter. He already knew that Richard Petty was the giant of the sport, but he gave him perhaps too much credit.