Opportunity focus of diversity program

NASCAR was in Brandon Thompson's own backyard growing up, and he didn't even know it.

SCHOOL OPPORTUNITIES Integrating a black driver into the Cup Series will be much more complicated than just putting him into a seat, said Anthony Martin, founder and executive director of Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia.  "NASCAR has felt the pressure for not having a black driver," Martin said. "If an African-American goes into NASCAR, it is vitally important for them to be successful. It will have a huge impact. If the driver is finishing 35th every week and is unsuccessful, it will be counterproductive."  Martin founded the Urban Youth Racing School in 1998, and it is the only place of its kind, he said. It has two programs that allow inner-city kids from ages 8-18 to participate in classroom learning and on-track driving. The NASCAR-related school, Martin said, is giving urban youth one of the few opportunities they may have to experience racing at such a young age.  "Guys who have been playing pro football or pro basketball have been playing since they were 6 years old," he said. "Racing is no different.  "We want to increase the probability of having a successful minority presence by giving more kids the opportunity. If one or two kids are trying, the ratio of success is small. But if you have 30 kids, it's likely you'll have one or two who are really good."  Martin said the No. 1 factor in having a minority presence in stock-car racing is creating interest, something that might not be present when kids flip on the TV. So his school is trying to teach an overall understanding of the sport.  "Kids see cars going in a circle, and they don't want to watch that," he said. "But when they start to understand the sport -- why M&Ms spends $15 million to put their name on a car or why a car pulls into the pits and it's crucial to have a 14-second stop -- that's when they become interested."

Thompson, who is from Nashville, Tenn., knew of Sterling Marlin and Bobby Hamilton -- both local guys who had made it big in stock-car racing -- although he'd never cared to watch a race. But when he sat in a college adviser's office at Clark-Atlanta University a few years back, he noticed an internship brochure on the desk. He applied and was accepted.

Thompson, just like that, became an intern at Nashville Superspeedway.

"I had no prior knowledge of the sport, but I knew it was a great opportunity," said Thompson, a 22-year-old African-American.

Now he's an account executive in NASCAR's series operations department in Daytona Beach, Fla., handling sponsorships that appear on the front fenders of race cars. Different companies have different agreements with different drivers, and it's up to Thompson to make sure those drivers are compensated for running a specific sponsor's decal.

The cars Thompson checks are similar in that sponsor decals are in the same place. The drivers are similar, too. Some are clean-shaven. Many have dark hair. Most have been driving their whole life to get into a Nextel Cup seat.

But all are white.

Heading into its 57th year of racing, NASCAR has had just five black drivers to ever compete in a Cup Series race. Wendell Scott finished 10th or better in the points standings three times and came away with a victory, although it was back in 1963. Scott didn't receive his wooden trophy until a month after the fact -- second-place finisher Buck Baker, who was white, was awarded the trophy in fear of fan uproar.

Times have certainly changed. An ESPN poll from 2003 found that 8.9 percent (approximately 6.6 million) of NASCAR fans are black -- a jump of 29 percent since 1999 -- and NASCAR is awaiting the results of a more recent study. Bill Lester, an African-American, has competed full time in the Truck Series since 2002 and made a Busch Series start in 1999. Yet no black driver has competed at the Cup Series level since Willy T. Ribbs ran three races 20 years ago.

"We're trying to provide the opportunity -- it's up to the driver," said Tish Sheets, NASCAR's director of diversity and special projects. "We're doing everything we can to change the Cup Series in that area. But I can't give you a date or a timetable. If one driver or one company has that opportunity, then it's up to them to make that happen.

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"We want to show that starting young can be an investment. You can't just put anybody in the seat and expect to compete in the Cup Series. That's where the Drive for Diversity program comes in."

In its third year of operation, NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program offers opportunities for minority and female drivers and crew members to develop a full-time career in the sport. This year, eight drivers were chosen based on skill to participate in the Dodge Weekly Series, and 12 crew members will have a chance to earn jobs in the Truck Series and Busch Series.

But the on-track program isn't NASCAR's only effort at diversifying the predominantly white sport.

"We have provided scholarships for members of the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and the United Negro College Fund for years," Sheets said. "We've also been associated with the Urban Youth Racing School since it began. As far as our internship program, this is its seventh year of operation. So we've been offering opportunities for quite some time."

Thompson was one of the internship beneficiaries.

"Other sports have a lot more ethnicities," he said. "But people don't realize how hard it is for drivers to move through the ranks. When you're young, you can sign up to play tee-ball or basketball, but you can't sign up to race."

NASCAR-supported programs are trying to lay the foundation early, Sheets said. And that relationship is furthered with minorities by creating a partnership with Historically Black Colleges and Universities. NASCAR sends representatives to the institutions to inform students of opportunities in the sport. The information sessions also include a panel discussion with corporate representatives in order to share job opportunities within NASCAR and positions within the companies involved in the program, Sheets said.

But the diversity programs take time, and it's one thing NASCAR doesn't want to rush.

"There is no quick fix. We're not about that at all," Sheets added. "We want to make sure the opportunities are there."