Zero black drivers doesn't mean progress is lacking

"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope." -- Martin Luther King Jr.

In less than two weeks, the 2008 Daytona 500 will kick off NASCAR's 60th season -- six decades of the best racing in the country. From the first race on the beach and road course in Daytona to the 50th running of the "Great American Race" on Feb. 17, the growth and changes of the sport have been astronomical.

There isn't enough space to describe how much the sport has changed in just 60 years, a short amount of time compared to other major sports in the country.

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But there is one glaring issue that will continue to plague this sport until someone finally breaks the barrier for good. In 60 years, you can count on almost one hand the number of black drivers to make a Cup start.

It's an unfortunate reality.

As Major League Baseball, the NFL, the NBA and even the NHL have made tremendous strides when it comes to race, so much so that it isn't an issue, NASCAR is still stuck with the perception of being predominately white, from its tiny beginnings to the multi-million-dollar media machine it is today.

But before we can address the future, it's important to remember the past.

Charlie Scott will go down in history as the first black driver to make a NASCAR race. He competed on the Daytona Beach road course in 1956 in a Kiekhaefer Chrysler. When the checkered waved, Scott found himself in 19th place, earning $75 dollars for his efforts.

Wendell Scott, no relation to Charlie, is the most successful black driver in NASCAR history. Scott made his debut in 1961 driving in a self-owned Chevrolet at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartanburg, S.C. Scott drove in NASCAR's highest series for 13 years, earning a victory at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla., and compiling 20 top-fives, 147 top-10s and one pole in 495 races.

The 1971 Islip 250 at Islip (N.Y.) Speedway was the first -- and only -- race to feature two black drivers. Wendell Scott finished 11th in the event and George Wiltshire came home 29th after retiring after just two laps. Wiltshire made one other start in his NASCAR career, a 32nd-place finish at Pocono in 1975.

Outside of the national series, Wiltshire made a name for himself in the NASCAR Sportsman Division in New York during the 1970s.

Another black driver who found success in the NASCAR Sportsman Division was Randy Bethea, who raced in Tennessee. Bethea's one national NASCAR start came in the 1975 World 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Unfortunately, much like Wiltshire before him, his start would go down as a DNF as engine problems forced Bethea to a 33rd-place finish.

It was a decade before a black driver made another start in a Cup race. Willy T. Ribbs started three races for DiGard in 1986 with his debut coming at North Wilkesboro. In those three races, Ribbs had two DNFs due to engine problems and his best finish was a 22nd in the North Wilkesboro event.

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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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.