“Today, we mourn the loss of a true Vermont legend and dear friend to me and so many others.
“Much will be made in Vermont and across the country of the NASCAR Hall of Famer’s extraordinary contributions to racing – from his time in the booth at CBS, where he coined the phrase ‘The Great American Race’, to his founding of the ‘Nation’s Site of Excitement’ at Thunder Road in Barre. His impacts on the sport are too numerous to count, and he deserves every one of those recognitions and many more.
“But for me, what I will remember most was his friendship and deep devotion to his community, which was the entire state. Ken was always looking for opportunities to give back and help those in need. He instilled those values as the backbone of Radio Vermont, which has been an essential part of the fabric of Vermont since its creation – always finding new ways to support more and more Vermonters.
“I will always cherish the memories of all the time we spent together, and be thankful for his mentorship, humor, creativity and passion. From the booth, he often described those racing as ‘common men doing uncommon things.’ But in reality he was describing himself — because Ken was indeed a very common man who did extraordinary things.”