Zero black drivers doesn't mean progress is lacking (cont'd)

Then, at the young age of 46, Ribbs went back on the national NASCAR circuit in 2001, this time the Craftsman Truck Series, driving a full season in the No. 8 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge. Ribbs finished 16th in points that season, earning $235,451, the most for a black driver in the sport up until then.

After Ribbs' initial Cup start, it was another two decades before another black driver started in the Cup Series. Bill Lester qualified for the 2006 Golden Corral 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a Bill Davis Dodge. Lester qualified 19th but finished six laps down in 38th. Lester also made the spring Michigan race that season, where he came home 32nd.

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Marc Davis

Ready to race

He may be 17, but Marc Davis knows what he wants, and he's letting everyone know he wants to be behind the wheel of a Cup car as soon as 2009.

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Lester is best known for his eight years in the Truck Series where he has three poles, two top-fives and seven top-10s in 142 races. His best season came in 2003, coincidentally in the same No. 8 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge driven by Ribbs, when he finished 14th in points.

That's the brief history of black drivers in NASCAR.

Six decades, six drivers, one win on the national level. And that streak will continue as 2008 doesn't look like it will feature a black driver.

This is a problem for the sport, and NASCAR knows it. But the sport is in a tough situation and patience is required for it to be rectified. Teams can't just give rides away to help break barriers. The sport costs way too much money and just putting a minority driver behind the wheel doesn't fix the problem -- it can potentially set them up for failure. Development is key, which is exactly the route NASCAR has taken.

The Drive for Diversity program has been in place since 2004, and while it addresses the issue of race, it's there for women and other minorities as well. Guys like Chris Bristol, Marc Davis and Paul Harraka are getting their opportunities to get behind the wheel in lower series. Some of the development drivers are still very young though, and will take time to develop into national series drivers.

The most likely to be ready the quickest is Davis, who is with Joe Gibbs Racing. At just 17, Davis looks primed to join one of the national series in 2009, but here in lies another problem. NASCAR is seriously considering raising the minimum age of drivers from 18 to 21, so Davis could have wait until 2013 to get his shot. This doesn't help the race issue facing the sport, yet NASCAR can't decide a rule isn't imperative because of one driver who could help the diversity issue.

When it comes to race in NASCAR, patience is key. Let the Drive for Diversity program try to work before criticism is passed to NASCAR CEO Brian France and the rest of the powers that be. It's important to realize that strides are being made.

Pit crews are becoming much diversified as former football players and other star athletes are finding work over the wall. The same can be said for officials. And then there is Max Siegel.

Last year, Siegel became the highest ranking black member of a NASCAR team when Dale Earnhardt Inc. announced he would become president of global operations. This is just the beginning.

There will come a time when race isn't an issue in the country's premier auto racing league. Look around at a race this season; you will see black men and women in the stands, on pit road, as officials and executives.

The one thing you won't see is a black driver. While it's disappointing that in 2008 NASCAR is still in that position, change is coming -- it just might be further away than we like.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer.