Byrnes to vote on NASCAR Hall of Fame heroes

Back then, the seven-time premier series champion was just fishing a pond on his farm. He was talking about life with a reporter from Maryland who came to racing after working on a Washington Redskins pregame show and anchoring a sports report in Charleston, South Carolina.

A call from a friend in Charlotte to work on a new NASCAR magazine show changed his career and life.

In 1985, Steve Byrnes joined future NASCAR Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett on TNN's "Inside Winston Cup Racing." In 1995, Byrnes appeared alongside another NASCAR Hall of Famer on TNN's "Darrell Waltrip's Racers." Their relationship continues today as the two men begin the 15th year of NASCAR on FOX coverage this February during Daytona Speedweeks.

But Byrnes had a special connection with "The Intimidator," spending time on his farm, on Lake Norman and at the track, as chronicled in the 2007 CMT/NASCAR Productions documentary, "Dale."

During their chat by the pond that day, Earnhardt said, "It's hard to have a friendship in racing and be consistent friends."

About that time, however, Byrnes found out what a friend he had in Earnhardt.

"I was out at his farm in 1989 or '90 on a shoot, and he had a ragged out S-10 pickup truck," Byrnes said.

"I said, 'Hey, let me buy this truck off of you. I like to do landscaping. Let me buy this truck.'

"He said, 'Byrnes, you don't want this truck. I ragged it out.'

"Six months later, I get a call in the office. 'This is Dale Earnhardt Chevrolet. Your truck is up here. Come get it.' I definitely got a generous friends and family discount. He didn't make anything off of that transaction.

"It was completely out of my frame of mind. It didn't even occur to me that six months later, a guy from his Chevrolet dealership would be calling me to say, 'Come get your pickup truck.'

"It was pretty humbling to be honest with you, but that's the way he was."

Fighting his second bout with cancer, a humbled Byrnes got a visit this week from the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

Winston Kelley, executive director of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and Brett Jewkes, senior vice president and chief communications officer of NASCAR, went to Byrnes' home on Tuesday afternoon to welcome the motorsports media veteran of 30-plus years onto the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel.

RELATED: Complete list of additions to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel

"It's an emotional thing for me," Byrnes said Tuesday. "My whole adult life has been immersed in NASCAR, and it means the world to me.

"I was thinking about it the other day, just listening to the radio. I covered my first Daytona 500 in 1985 and haven't missed one since. My early influences were Barney Hall and Ken Squier, two big names in the hall of fame, and I hosted a show with Ned Jarrett, who is one of the enshrinees. And the fact that the hall is right here in Charlotte, it's quite an honor."

Battling Stage 4 head-and-neck cancer, Byrnes has become a hero to his family and others in the industry, whether they are waging war with the disease or supporting those engaged in the fight.

His 12-year-old son, Bryson, looks up to his dad as a hero, and when asked how he'll do on the Voting Panel, he said, "I think he'll do awesome."

Byrnes talked about the importance of the hall of fame to his son and younger fans who visit the shrine.

"I've taken Bryson to the NASCAR Hall of Fame with my nephews, and they're more interested in the early part of the sport," Byrnes said. "They know Jimmie Johnson, but to see Junior Johnson, what he wore and what his race car was like, it makes a huge impact."

Like his friend Earnhardt, Byrnes won't call himself a hero, but his perseverance has been heroic.

And on Voting Day, May 20, he will help select the next class of NASCAR Hall of Famers who will join Earnhardt, Jarrett, Waltrip and the heroes already enshrined in Charlotte.

Editor's note: Watch below as Steve Byrnes learns he has been named to the NASCAR Hall of Fame Voting Panel.