AVON, Ind. — Hall of Fame inductee Greg Stephens, a true pioneer in the motorsports video industry, has died after a long battle with cancer. Stephens was 72.
His daughter Mindy confirmed his death on social media Sunday, saying the family was able to spend the day with him on Saturday watching racing and golf on television.
Stephens was instrumental in the majority of television coverage of the World of Outlaws for more than three decades.
The motorsports video company he owned produced video of major short-track races including the Knoxville Nationals, Chili Bowl and Kings Royal.
Stephens quit his job as a typesetter in 1986 and set out to make a living I the video production industry. He traveled to events all over the country and filmed races, selling video to various motorsports shows and creating VHS video tapes that were marketed to race fans.
Stephens began shooting World of Outlaws events in 1987 and was a regular with the series until joining the USA sprint car series during its only season in 1989.
He returned to the World of Outlaws fold in 1991 and played a significant role in all World of Outlaws video and television productions until the series was sold to World Racing Group in 2004.
Stephens’ work behind the camera broke ground for generations of videographers covering motorsports events while also paving the way for today’s highly popular streaming video market for motorsports events.
Stephens was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2019.
“I spent enough money on video equipment in my career that I could have bought a very nice house with but I wouldn’t have been able to do all the things I have done in my career if I hadn’t have invested in it,” Stephens said at that time. “It’s been a real good life.”