TALLADEGA, Ala. -- How ironic, that Jim Hunter shuffled off this mortal coil in the midst of another Talladega NASCAR weekend.

Hunter loved Talladega and would have given anything to be here.

In fact, word has it he uttered this gem Monday evening: "I'm going to Talladega, damn it..." Close your eyes and think hard, and you can hear that low, raspy voice uttering the syllables.

But it wasn't to be, damn it.

Hunter had that all-too-unique way of sitting there and listening to you -- and there was no mistaking the fact he was giving you his rapt attention.

The lung cancer -- it's hard to believe was diagnosed only a year ago on this weekend -- had finally spread to his brain.

Two weeks ago, Mr. Hunter -- as he was affectionately known to many in the industry, though just-plain Hunter fit him just as well -- had talked of playing golf. But last Tuesday, this inexorable, horrible disease got aggressive and Friday evening, it took his life.

Hunter was such a personality, such a devoted friend and co-worker and husband and father and grandfather; the last year seemed as dozens of months as he fought the good fight and lived the good life that he'd held forth in such a marvelous example for decades.

It'll take a while to sink in, that the guy with the slow gait, a sweet golf swing and an ever-present smile, along with the old-school, yellow "NASCAR '48" ball cap will no longer grace a garage area or a media center.

That's because Hunter was the go-to guy for the media, whether it was for an official statement, an explanation or some off-the-record insight into whatever was hot in NASCAR at the moment. And Hunter never failed to come through.

That's the legacy Hunter had established in 36 years working directly for the France family, first under the International Speedway Corporation umbrella, and then alternately for NASCAR and ISC, as needed.

You see, as much as Hunter was a go-to guy for the media, he served in that role for the Frances for what seemed like forever. If you needed a fix, Hunter was your guy.

Hunter's first exposure to the sport came in the "Big Bill" France era. NASCAR first touched Hunter's life as a University of South Carolina football and baseball player, when he went to races at the legendary Columbia (S.C.) Speedway, as a fan.

Not long after that, he was among an infamous group of early motorsports writers who shared space on a flatbed truck in the infield that served as a combination media center and competitor lounge.

As he really became involved in the sport, working as the PR director at his home-state Darlington Raceway -- where the infield media center today bears his name -- he became a close associate to NASCAR president Bill France at a period that was critical to the growth and survival of NASCAR. (Continued)