Road to Cup diversity lies in driver development (cont'd)

So much of the diversity effort within NASCAR is about winning hearts and minds, and in some ways it seems so misguided. Visiting black colleges and partnering with Magic Johnson all make for great public relations, but in reality they get you no closer to finding a minority driver who can turn 160 mph laps at Darlington. The key to the whole diversity equation isn't color, but talent. No matter what kind of efforts you put forth, no matter how many diversity programs you start, no matter how many figureheads you align with, the kid either has that innate ability to go fast or he doesn't.

Davis seeks Cup

Development driver Marc Davis wants to be known as a driver, not as a black driver.

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How did Hamilton, from a town with a black population of 1 percent, from a nation with a black population of 9 percent out of 60 million, make it? Because he had a dad named Anthony who was able to recognize his son's interest in RC cars and go-karts, and worked two or three jobs to fund it. Because the kid had the moxie at age 10 to borrow a suit and approach the head of the McLaren Mercedes F1 team and say, "I'm going to drive for you one day." Because McLaren was wise enough to keep an eye on him, and eventually sign him to a developmental deal.

Note that it was McLaren, not F1, that made it happen, a fact that leads you to believe that when the diversity breakthrough finally comes in NASCAR, it will likely be through the efforts of a race team and not the sanctioning body. NASCAR wants diversity. NASCAR needs diversity. But for it to happen, a team executive has to spot a promising young driver and give him a chance, just as McLaren chairman Ron Dennis did with Hamilton. Of course, that's tough to do when some NASCAR teams are slashing or eliminating their developmental budgets to better fund their Nextel Cup efforts.

Too bad. Because for diversity to become a reality, NASCAR needs strong developmental programs like the one at Joe Gibbs Racing, which fields Almirola's Busch car, Davis' regional touring ride and an assortment of other vehicles for other drivers. A few years ago, when driver development became fashionable, one Nextel Cup team after another trotted out an array of youngsters -- many of them minorities -- said to be the future of their respective franchises. But in many cases the money dried up or was diverted elsewhere, and the drivers faded away. Had that happened at McLaren, Hamilton might still be looking for a ride.

But it didn't, because F1 teams pour money into driver development, spending big on their future just as they do on their present. They bring young drivers in, they test the heck out of them, and if they're any good they lock them up in long-term deals. That's the formula that unearthed Lewis Hamilton, who was a gifted driver long before he became a racial pioneer. The same thing can happen in NASCAR, if teams are willing to spend the money to do it. Because in order to create diversity, you have to find talent first.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.