Lester poses in front of his No. 23 Dodge before Friday night's qualifying run. Credit: Autostock

One roadblock down, but how many more to go?

Opinions mixed on where the sport goes from here

HAMPTON, GA. -- Chris Davis stood out in the sea of people along pit road before qualifying for Sunday's Nextel Cup race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

He stood out for the same reason as Bill Lester, the driver he'd come to see.

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He is black.

Davis, like many of his friends in Atlanta and from his hometown of Darlington, S.C., has yearned for a man of his color to cheer for in NASCAR's top series.

Lester, a 45-year-old Truck Series veteran from Atlanta, gave him hope on Friday night when he became the first black driver to qualify for a Cup race since Willy T. Ribbs 20 years ago.

"We needed something like that,'' Davis said.

Whether Lester's "Drive into History,'' as was promoted by his Bill Davis Racing car sponsor Waste Management, will change the landscape of a sport that has been predominantly white in the garage and the stands for 58 years remains to be seen.

But most agree there needs to be change, which is why Lester was paraded around AMS like a presidential candidate on a campaign tour before turning in a lap [190.502 mph] that was faster than Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s [189.396 mph].

And the crowds around him before and after qualifying were bigger than those around Earnhardt, NASCAR's most popular driver the past three years.

"It's overwhelming,'' said Lester, who was 19th overall and first among the 17 drivers he had to beat out for eight spots not locked into the 43-car field. "This essentially is the culmination of a very long dream that I've had to race at the top level of motorsports.''

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It's the beginning of NASCAR's dream to make the sport more representative of the American population.

"This is not representative of America at all,'' said Kyle Petty as he looked around the garage before qualifying. "I'm not saying [the sport] has to be, but I do believe to be healthy it needs to be.

"I believe this is a big step. But it's not going to change until we have somebody come back time after time after time.''

Petty remembers what it was like in 1961 watching Wendell Scott break color barriers in Cup. He remembers what it was like in 1986 when Ribbs made three races.

He considers those moments more historic than what Lester did, but not more significant.

"It's where we need to be as much as anything else,'' Petty said.

That it's taken 20 years to get to this point doesn't surprise Scott's son, Wendell Scott Jr.

"Because there aren't enough people willing to sponsor a black driver,'' he said.

Scott Jr. recalled the tough times when he and his father had doors slammed in their faces by sponsors and owners. He recalled blowing an engine at North Carolina Speedway in Rockingham and being unable to get another engine.

"I couldn't even get a borrowed one,'' he said. "I couldn't get help whatsoever.''

Scott Jr., a mentor for two drivers in Waste Management's diversity program, was invited to participate in Friday's festivities. He declined, in part for medical reason and in part because no one offered to pay his expenses.

He was somewhat skeptical of whether Lester, whose NASCAR experience primarily has been in the Truck Series (he ran one Busch Series race in 1999), was given the ride because he deserves it or to draw attention to a struggling team.

"Let's say it's prudent for Waste Management to make that move,'' Scott Jr. said.

Petty said Lester's run did what it was supposed to do.

"I'm going to take abuse for this, but today is a hook,'' he said. "If it's just a hook, then you've got to build on that.''

Petty reminded of times when women drivers first sold corporate America on the idea that they could compete in Cup.

"They came here and raced, and I'm sorry, they failed,'' he said. "When the second woman went to corporate America and said I want to go race they're like, 'Well, the hook is gone, because that's already been done. And they failed, so what makes you different from them?' ''

Petty said the big hook with black drivers was played long before Lester.

"One race is not going to change history,'' he said. "That one race has already been run, and it was run by Wendell Scott a long, long time ago.''

Bill Lester Craftsman Truck career stats Year Races Wins T5s T10s Poles 2000 1 0 0 0 0 2001 5 0 0 0 0 2002 22 0 0 0 0 2003 25 0 0 1 1 2004 25 0 0 1 0 2005 25 0 2 4 2 2006 2 0 0 0 0 Total 105 0 2 6 3

Petty, like Scott Jr., isn't surprised it's taken this long for a black driver to get another chance in Cup. He said the problem has more to do with a lack of a talent pool than a lack of commitment from teams or sponsors.

"I turn on the pipeline for cookie-cutter white drivers from all over the country and it just floods out,'' he said. "I turn on the black pipeline and there's a couple that trickle out. I turn on the Hispanic pipeline and there's a couple that fall out. I turn on the female pipeline and there's one or two that trickles out.''

"It's incredibly hard to get recognized when there are only three of you, when there are only 10 of you.''

He gets no argument from Lester, who repeatedly has reminded that there are few opportunities for those not born into the sport or brought into it at a young age.

Lester also reminded there are even fewer opportunities in racing for black youth in urban America.

The Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia is hoping to help change that. Several teenagers in the program soaked in every word Lester said during a midday press conference that included NASCAR president Mike Helton.

They had the look of a child on Christmas morning when Lester unveiled the car he would attempt to drive into history.

"Can we get closer?'' one of the teenagers asked Danny Nurkilson, the director of the racing school.

Nurkilson called the chance for the youth to see Lester qualify ''priceless.''

"The fact that he's here is more important than whether he makes it or not,'' he said.

Lester's wife, Cheryl, who is 8½ months pregnant with Lester's second son, agreed. But that didn't temper the nervousness she felt before the qualifying run or the intense excitement she felt when the run was over and it appeared her husband would make the field.

"I keep telling the baby he can't come this week,'' said Cheryl, who shared the excitement with her husband's parents that flew in from California. "I told him, 'This is daddy's big weekend.' ''

It also is a big weekend for NASCAR in its effort to promote diversity. Helton acknowledged there have been roadblocks, imaginary and real, that have kept more minority drivers out of the sport.

He said it's important that NASCAR become more reflective of America and to break down those roadblocks.

Bill Lester chats with NASCAR president Mike Helton. Credit: AP

"Not just break them down and prove they were imaginary,'' Helton said. "But at the same time step up to the plate and create opportunities for people to understand the sport, to experience the sport, and if they want to participate in it either on the business side or sporting side have opportunities to do that.''

Four-time Cup champion Jeff Gordon hopes this isn't a one-time deal for Lester, who also will attempt to qualify at the June race in Michigan and the Labor Day race at California Speedway.

"It's a slow process,'' he said. "Bill has paid his dues in the Truck Series and I'd like see him run some Busch races because I want to see him have success. Having success here is huge for him and the sport. ''

Jeff Burton, who qualified third behind Ryan Newman and pole-sitter Kasey Kahne, said NASCAR has to become more diverse.

"Bill did a great job tonight,'' he said. "That will bring a great amount of recognition to him and his team. More importantly, it will bring more exposure to minorities to hopefully get them excited about this sport.

"I look forward to the day when we don't have to talk about it. That's when we know we're where we need to be, when it's not a story.''

Bill Davis, who will field two teams for Toyota next season, said Lester is being considered for a ride with the foreign manufacturer in '07. He insisted this weekend was not a publicity stunt.

"Anybody that knows me knows that's not what we're about,'' he said. "We're about racing and racing opportunities.''

Lee White, the senior vice president for Toyota that fields Lester's trucks, said the climate is right for a minority driver to succeed.

"We're in the same situation as NASCAR and every other business,'' he said. "If you want to grow your business you can't just restrain it to one particular segment of the population. You have to reach all segments. That's a segment that's out there.

"When we're selling cars and trucks, their money works like everybody else's. ''

Not everybody was caught up in the almost circus-like atmosphere around Lester. Casey Mears wasn't aware Lester was attempting to make the field until told by reporters.

Bill Lester signs an autograph after Friday's news conference. Credit: AP

"You guys tell me who it is first,'' he said when asked about the historic significance of Lester's qualifying run.

But Mears is all for diversity in Cup.

"It will help it grow,'' he said. "[But] from my point of view I don't look at anyone any different from anyone else.''

Bruton Smith, who owns AMS and five other tracks that host Cup events, agreed on the importance of diversity. He's not convinced putting a black driver in the field will put more people in the stands.

"If you look at NBA games, most of the players are black, but still it is not supported as much by black as it is by the whites,'' he said. "I would like to say it will improve the number of blacks that we have coming, but I don't know.''

Petty said people shouldn't put too much pressure on Lester to change the sport overnight.

"One race is not going to change history,'' he said. "But if he comes here and gets a fulltime ride, or a minority gets a fulltime ride and performs, that's history. This is not.''

But it's a step in the right direction for fans such as Davis.

"As more people of color realize that there's somebody that looks like them that they can identify with at the race track they'll probably be more prone to come out and see,'' Lester said.

"When people see that I'm racing on Sunday on network TV, that's probably going to be a catalyst for change.''