Steve Byrnes, here pictured as a high school senior, quarterbacked his team to the Maryland high school state championship, before playing one season at James Madison University. Byrnes now hosts several SPEED programs including Trackside Live, NASCAR Live, The Chase is On and Go or Go Home. (Photo: SPEED Media Relations)

With 22 years of experience in NASCAR, SPEED's Steve Byrnes is one of the most knowledgeable and respected broadcast veterans in the garage area. He also is one of the most passionate about his job and the people who make the sport what it is today.

Byrnes, 48, hosts Trackside Live, NASCAR Live, The Chase Is On and Go or Go Home for SPEED, in addition to serving as a play-by-play announcer for the network's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series qualifying and practice broadcasts.

He likens his "set-up" role on Trackside to his football days, in which he quarterbacked his high school team to the Maryland state championship in his senior year. Byrnes went on to play football at James Madison University for one year before transferring to the University of Maryland to earn a Radio, Television and Film degree.

"In a corny way, it's a throw-back to my football days when I gave the guys the ball and wanted them to run with it, really shine and have a good time," Byrnes reflected. "That's what I want with Trackside. I strive to get the ball rolling and let the other guys do something with it. We all know each other so well that we are aware when the other wants to jump in with a thought."

But no matter what show he is hosting or what topic he might be discussing, Byrnes always looks like he is having the time of his life. That is precisely the point he wants to convey to the viewers at home.

"I really do love my job and what I do each weekend," Byrnes said. "I try to look at my job from the fans' perspective and give them information and news in an interesting presentation they can't get anywhere else. I don't attempt to portray myself as really polished like Dan Rather or someone like him. I just talk to the folks at home about what's going on at the track and with the drivers and my excitement about that just tends to come out. I want everyone to know I love what I do and am passionate about it."

On Trackside Live, with Byrnes, Larry McReynolds, Jeff Hammond and Elliott Sadler talking racing and life in general, it is hard to get a word in edgewise. Byrnes jokes that he feels responsible for maintaining a sense of decorum on the show, if that is even possible.

"We really have a blast on Trackside and it's as much fun as it appears," Byrnes explained. "However, sometimes it's a runaway train that I can't get my arms around. Sometimes the guys get going and there's no stopping them. But the way I look at it, people are very interested in what Larry, Jeff and Elliott have to say, so I try to make sure their viewpoints come across, even if they have to talk over each other. I interject my opinion when appropriate but it's more important for me to be the 'set-up' guy on the show."

Byrnes always knew he wanted to be involved in sports but never envisioned himself working for a show as laid-back and high-energy as Trackside.

"When I finally figured out I wasn't going to be the Washington Redskins' quarterback, I decided to figure out what I wanted to do and I knew it would involve sports," Byrnes reflected. "So, I got an internship at WJLA (the ABC affiliate in Washington) while in college and I covered the Redskins, Maryland football, Georgetown basketball, the Baltimore Orioles and several other teams. When I graduated from college, that internship segued into my first job as the weekend sports producer at the station. I figured I'd be covering 'stick-and-ball' sports for a long time to come and never really thought I could have such a cool career in NASCAR."

However, Byrnes was no stranger to racing, as he attended his first race at Beltsville Speedway, a NASCAR-sanctioned track near Baltimore, when he was 10 years old. He continued to attend weekend short-track races with his family until the Washington area grew up so much that developers bought up many of those tracks.

Byrnes' uncle took him to his first NASCAR Winston Cup race at Daytona International Speedway in 1979, the late Dale Earnhardt Sr.'s rookie year. Three years later, Byrnes landed his first on-air job at WCIV in Charleston, S.C., where he served as a sports reporter and weekend anchor, covering NASCAR and other sports.

A few years later, Byrnes became the host and producer of Inside NASCAR and went on to serve in the same capacity on several other NASCAR and ASA Series programs. He hosted the highly-popular Totally NASCAR on FOX Sports Net and SPEED and has been with the SPEED and FOX family ever since, even branching out into the NFL.

"Last year, I was the play-by-play announcer for the Panthers/Vikings game on FOX at Minnesota," Byrnes said. "That was a huge thrill for me and I am hoping to do something else with the NFL again this year."

While covering pro football games is a nice change for Byrnes, NASCAR on SPEED is where his heart is. One of the reasons Byrnes enjoys bringing racing news to the fans each week is because on Trackside, the fans really make the show.

"Trackside is so unique because we take the set to the fans at the race track each week and allow them up-close access that other shows do not," Byrnes explained. "We broadcast from the middle of a huge throng of race fans. They never know what to expect but they come prepared with signs, costumes and all kinds of crazy things."

The Washington Redskins fan sees the show's main priority as presenting the race fans and viewers a side of the drivers they cannot and will not see anywhere else.

"For Trackside, we try to pull out the aspects of the drivers' lives and personalities that people don't usually see," Byrnes said. "We really make a conscious effort to make sure the fans get to know these guys as people."

In addition to informing and entertaining the fans, Byrnes says he always strives to focus on the NASCAR crew members as real people. While those team members enjoy their jobs, working in the garage area requires a huge commitment, not only from the employees but also from their families.

"Personally, I've always been driven by the people in the sport," Byrnes said. "I always say, 'It's all about the effort.' These people make a tremendous sacrifice every day of their lives and give all their effort to try to win. Our shows on SPEED are all about them and I think that's what we do a terrific job of conveying to the fan. It's the people in the sport who matter and who make it worth us leaving our families behind at home and going to the track every week.

"I've been in this sport 22 years and things have changed a lot," he continued. "Now, we have the technology, the wind tunnel numbers, the straight line testing and all the data. While that's all interesting and important, I like to focus on the people who use that information to make a race car go faster. I can line up all of a car's pieces on the garage floor and tell the guy at home how to build a car but it is more interesting to zero in on the people who turn those nuts and bolts and the dynamics of their teams."

Among the things that have changed vastly since Byrnes first stepped into the sport in 1985, he lists testing and its effect on family time as the most important issue that needs to be addressed.

"Testing is one of the biggest issues in the sport now," Byrnes explained. "I don't know if we should eliminate it or try to make it more equitable. Most of these teams have tested almost as many times as they've raced this season. From a personal standpoint, I used to know everybody in the garage area. Now, I don't recognize anybody because it's becoming a young man's sport and a lot of these guys don't have wives and kids. Wherever those cars go, those guys go. I think maybe NASCAR could open the tracks a day earlier and test prior to race day, let the teams do their telemetry there and eliminate the middle-of-the-week testing that wears out the crews."

The time spent away from home for testing at various race tracks goes hand-in-hand with the race schedule and the way it is organized, according to Byrnes.

"The other thing is that geographically, the schedule doesn't make sense to me," he elaborated. "I'd like to see NASCAR combine the West Coast tracks. There needs to be some consideration given to the lifestyles of the people who work in the sport. I feel very strongly about that but I don't have the answer. However, it was much more manageable when there were only 32 or so races."

But whether it is 32 or 42 races a year, Byrnes plans to continue covering the sport he loves, even though he has to say good-bye to his wife and son each Thursday.

"NASCAR has certainly changed a lot in the last few years and I think it's our job at SPEED to tell the fans about those changes," Byrnes stated. "I consider it a privilege to be able to relay that information to the fans that have helped make the sport what it is today. After all, it's really all about the people - those in the garage area and the ones who pull for them every weekend."

SPEED, now in more than 76 million homes in North America, is the exclusive home of the NASCAR Nextel All-Star Challenge, Gatorade Duels at Daytona, NASCAR Nextel Pit Crew Challenge and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The only network delivering live, at-track programming all season long, SPEED offers the definitive pre- and post-race NASCAR Nextel Cup Series programs - NASCAR RaceDay and NASCAR Victory Lane, as well as other popular NASCAR programs including Trackside Live, Tradin' Paint, NASCAR Performance, NASCAR Live!, Inside Nextel Cup and Go or Go Home.