NASCAR's diversity lacks one color: Green

Financial support main concern for drivers, teams despite initiatives

It's been 42 years and almost three months since a black man won a Cup Series race. And nobody's quite sure when it will happen again.

Wendell Scott put together a 13-year career in NASCAR during the 1960s and '70s, entering nearly 500 races, collecting 20 top-fives and 147 top-10s. In more than a decade of racing the demanding 40- and 50-race schedules of the sport's infancy, Scott led a total of 27 laps. And all of them were in one race.

	Wendell Scott Credit: Motorsports Images and Archives
	Wendell Scott Cup Series career stats Year Races W T5 T10 1961 23 0 0 5 1962 41 0 4 19 1963 47 0 1 15 1964 56 1 8 25 1965 52 0 4 21 1966 45 0 3 17 1967 45 0 0 11 1968 48 0 0 10 1969 51 0 0 11 1970 41 0 0 9 1971 37 0 0 4 1972 6 0 0 0 1973 3 0 0 0 Totals 495 1 20 147

"Daddy had his 'Take a chance' driving mode if we needed X-amount of dollars -- that meant somebody needed dentures or school tuition had to be paid," said Wendell Scott Jr., who was his father's crew chief in their three-man team that included his brother, Frank. "That's when we turned top-10s into top-fives."

Scott Jr. said his family would go to each track with a list of drivers they knew they could beat.

"We used to plan finishes," he said.

But nobody planned what happened on Dec. 1, 1963. Scott put his No. 34 Chevrolet out front -- ahead of former and future champions Buck Baker, Ned Jarrett, Joe Weatherly, David Pearson and even The King, Richard Petty. He finished two laps ahead of everyone that day at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla., to earn his only victory in the sport's top series. NASCAR reported a scoring error and didn't crown Scott the winner until three days later.

But making history wasn't on Scott's mind at the time. The payday was.

"Daddy was always a winner," Scott Jr. said. "By the time he got to the Cup Series, he had won track championships and more than 200 races. Winning was nothing new to us. We just wanted to make money."

Pioneers don't set out to become pioneers. While they see themselves just doing a job, others see a stone in the path of history that is rolled over because of skin color or gender or ethnicity.

In racing, Wendell Scott was one of the biggest stones. NASCAR hopes there are more.

Although having a minority driver in Victory Lane may not happen this year or even next year, those closest to the sport say it can happen soon with funding.

NASCAR DIVERSITY The focus of NASCAR's diversity program isn't just about putting a minority driver into the seat of a racecar. It's about providing the opportunities.  •   Complete story,  click here NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program is in its third year of providing qualified minority and female drivers and crew members the opportunity to showcase their talents.  •   Complete story,  click here Darryl Lomick and Dean Duckett are in their fifth season as Nextel Cup officials, and they say involvement will increase the presence of minorities.  •   Complete story,  click here NASCAR announced a collaboration with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Universal Technical Institute in an effort to further increase diversity in the sport.   •   Complete story,  click here Drive for DiversityNASCAR announces its 2006 Drive for Diversity participants Chris BristolBristol looks forward to learning under Ken Schrader Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

"Just because a black driver isn't in the Cup Series doesn't mean it's NASCAR's fault," said Chris Bristol, an African-American in NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program who has won races driving Late Models. "The reality is that it's the economic side of our society and the resources."

"It's tough, man," said Terance Mathis, owner of Victory Motorsports Racing, a team he created in Atlanta with hopes of placing a car on the starting grid as early as this season. "I don't care who you are -- minority or not -- this is tough."

Mathis, a former NFL receiver with the Falcons, had planned on making the annual trek to Daytona a few weeks ago and celebrate Black History Month by trying to make the Daytona 500 as a black-owned team. But funds weren't there.

"When people find out what I'm doing, they all say the same thing -- it's good for NASCAR; it's good for racing; it's good for drivers; it's good for other teams," Mathis said. "But at the end of the day, nobody is writing a check."

Searching for dollars is nothing new.

"We never had a sponsor," Scott Jr. said. "We had a phenomenal career. To this day, I haven't seen a driver do any better with any less than we had.

"We had very few incidents of racism. Our only problem was sponsorship."

Racing's never been the cheapest sport to try -- black or white, male or female. And racing is a distant dream, if not an impossible one, for many kids growing up for that very reason. Basketball courts dot the country. Baseball and football leagues sprout in every town. However, combining the money it takes to play all three wouldn't buy a driver's suit for a kid who wanted to race.

"When I was little, I used to beg for a go-kart, and I would pout when I couldn't have it," Bristol said. "The reality was that we couldn't afford one. Racing is a lot of money."

Programs like the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia are looking to show young kids that racing can be a career path. UYRS gives inner-city youth ages 8-18 the opportunity for in-class and on-track experience. And it's free.

"Our mission is to introduce urban youth to the motorsports world," executive director Anthony Martin said. "Kids could be big fans of racing but have no idea how to get involved. We're their only bridge to cross over into the racing world."

The school focuses on driving, but it also educates on alternative methods to get involved in racing, such as public relations, engineering and working on a pit crew, because for every youth who aspires to be a driver, "the chances are very slim," Martin said.

For a kid who plays basketball, the NBA has 360 roster spots available among 30 teams. There are 1,200 roster spots in Major League Baseball, and the NFL has 2,368 slots to fill.

But only 43 drivers start in each Nextel Cup race.

	Bill Lester is in his seventh season in the Truck Series. Credit: Autostock
	Bill Lester Truck Series career stats Year Races W T5 T10 2000 1 0 0 0 2001 5 0 0 0 2002 22 0 0 0 2003 25 0 0 1 2004 25 0 0 1 2005 25 0 2 4 2006 2 0 0 0 Totals 105 0 2 6

To introduce alternative careers in the sport, NASCAR has partnered with Historically Black Colleges and Universities and the Universal Technical Institute to develop a job placement program in automotives. The initiative was recently announced in Washington, D.C. Additionally, the governing body works with several schools to offer diversity internships and scholarships to increase professional opportunities not only in the sport but with sponsors involved in the sport.

However, it's the drivers behind the wheel who are the face of NASCAR. And that's where the Drive for Diversity program comes into play. It's a program for qualified minority drivers and crew members to showcase their talents for NASCAR owners.

A driving program helped land Truck Series rookie Aric Almirola in a ride this season. The Hispanic driver from Florida is a graduate of Joe Gibbs Racing's diversity program, and in 2006 he's driving for Spears Motorsports. Female driver Erin Crocker also is a rookie in the Truck Series, driving for Evernham Motorsports. They join Truck veteran Bill Lester, an African-American, and second-year female driver Kelly Sutton as the only minority drivers in NASCAR's top three series.

Scott Jr., who is a driver mentor for the Drive for Diversity program, said driving programs are what will put a minority driver in the Cup Series or even Victory Lane, along with a combination of sponsor and team support. He said it would be fairly easy as long as the right funding was placed behind the right team or driver.

"Let's say the Wood Brothers come to me and say they want to start a diversity program," said Scott, hypothetically. "They want to get with me to find a driver, so I put them with a driver, and maybe I know a sponsor. The pieces can all fall in line. Someone has to be the first to make an effort of collaboration."

Mathis agreed.

"We're not asking for special treatment," he said of minorities who want to become involved in the sport. "We just want an opportunity and the resources."