Road to Cup diversity lies in driver development

He comes from a country with a minority population a fraction of the size of that in the United States, one where racism in sports can be so hideously blatant that bananas have been hurled at black players during soccer games. He broke through not with the help of a diversity program, but the backing of a father who worked extra jobs so his son could succeed. The end result was not just any seat, but a championship-caliber one in the most exclusive racing series in the world.

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For anyone who's ever worked to foster diversity in NASCAR, the last two weekends must have been viewed with some combination of envy and pride. Years of programs, tryouts, college tours and announcements have passed, and the sport still seems no closer to finding a black driver who can compete full time on its premier circuit. Meanwhile Lewis Hamilton falls out of the sky, giving Formula One exactly the kind of popular, engaging, cool, marketable, winning minority driver that NASCAR has always wanted.

As Jeff Gordon won in the rain and Carl Edwards did backflips, the first black driver in the 61-year history of F1 swept the tour's North American swing with victories in Montreal and Indianapolis. He is, by any definition, the total package -- a 22-year-old Englishman with a magnetic personality, a touch of humility, a fabulous smile and a heavy right foot. He's contending for victories, galvanizing crowds, and winning fans wherever he goes, creating a phenomenon in F1 quite comparable to the one in golf that exploded around Tiger Woods.

Meanwhile, NASCAR waits. The series continues to support the Drive for Diversity program, make visits to historically black colleges and universities, and try to get its brand name in front of inner-city youth. There are promising up-and-comers like Marc Davis and Jesus Hernandez in the pipeline. But thus far the top graduate of all those diversity efforts is Busch driver Aric Almirola, a Florida native of Cuban descent. With the exception of Juan Montoya, each Sunday brings another Nextel Cup field notably devoid of color.

All this while Hamilton continues to win fans and win races, promising to carry once-slumping F1 to a level of popularity it hasn't enjoyed in years. So what did F1 do to foster this development? Absolutely nothing.

There is no F1 Drive for Diversity program, even though it took that series 43 years longer than NASCAR to produce a black race winner. Hamilton made it for the same reason Jeff Gordon made it, and Tony Stewart made it, and the first modern black Nextel Cup driver inevitably will make it -- he had talent, and somebody noticed.

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.