Opportunities coming up for minorities in NASCAR

Associated Press ^ | November 6, 2003 | By Mike Harris,

[Afronaut]

Why?

[Puppage]

Opportunities coming up for minorities in NASCAR

Yeah, and let's not forget Polo & Yacht racing.

[commish]

AT least they are doing this at the minor league level to allow these guys a chance to develop -- the Dodge truck experiment with the #8 shown above was an unmitigated disaster. Every time I would turn on a truck race the #8 was either backwards, piling into the wall, wrecking another truck or already 30+ laps behind. It was like watching Shawna Robinson in a truck.

[My2Cents]

Or the NHL.

[Fierce Allegiance]

I demand there be racial equality in Kabuki theatre & opera!!

[HELLRAISER II]

They don't have any choice, if they don't then the Rev. Jessee Jack@ss and his fellow racists will continue to dog NASCAR until they contribute to the Make Jessee rich fund. I think it's great, give them a chance to race (if they can qualify) and let them make or break their own way.

[Pukin Dog]

It can only mean that Cadillac is going to be fielding a car soon.

[San Jacinto]

Why?

Why not?

I bet lots of Ford, Chevy, and Dodge dealers wouldn't mind selling a few more vehicles to a wider market. Nascar helps sell cars and trucks.

[Fierce Allegiance]

More of people playing the NASCAR race card, if you care.

[junta]

Good, when then do I get my NFL cornerback job?

[sgtbono2002]

Anyone who buys any car because of a NASCAR victory is a damned fool/ Those cars are no more stock than the Blackhawk is like a Piper cub.

[Wright is right!]

Here we go again. Trying to raise minority participation among the disinterested. If minorities WANTED to compete in NASCAR, you can be there would be a bunch of them doing exactly that. There are certainly PLENTY of minority individuals with more than enough bucks to make a serious committment, so if they haven't done so, what's stopping them?

I maintain that NASCAR simply doesn't interest them. Not too many blacks are interested in golf, either, albeit more than used to be since the Dawning Of Le Tiger.

This is the same song and dance we got about minority households having fewer net-connected computers than white households. The argument has always been that the minorities "can't afford it." Hogwash. ANYONE can afford to get on the net. Those that haven't are simply not interested OR it's not enough of a priority to have happened. My great neighbors across the street, who are both top-notch professionals and who engage in tons of activities, just weren't interested until their brilliant daughter hit 3rd grade (where she really needs to skip about 3 grades - she's that sharp) and then she convinced the parentals that they HAD to get a pooter. They're now on their third PC.

Michael

[stainlessbanner]

The diff is these guys are motivated by money and their political agenda rather than love of the sport.

[Afronaut]

"Nascar helps sell cars and trucks."

Where can I get a 2 door Taurus?" LOL!

[randog]

It was like watching Shawna Robinson in a truck.

LOL, even though I have no idea who Shawna Robinson is.....;^)

[HELLRAISER II]

That's a given, most racial claims like this are made simply for monetary gains. Jesse JackAss is a perfect Poster boy example of the Black Mail/Black Male racist prick.

[San Jacinto]

Where can I get a 2 door Taurus?" LOL!

Don't you mean a no-door Taurus? Actually, unless I'm mistaken, there are back doors painted on there as well the front ones.

[Vigilantcitizen]

"AT least they are doing this at the minor league level to allow these guys a chance to develop -- the Dodge truck experiment with the #8 shown above was an unmitigated disaster. Every time I would turn on a truck race the #8 was either backwards, piling into the wall, wrecking another truck or already 30+ laps behind. It was like watching Shawna Robinson in a truck."

I agree commish. Untill we start seeing more blacks participating in stock car racing at the local level, spending the time necessary to develop the required skills needed to compete at the NASCAR level, all the money in the world ain't going to change jack.

And the required skills for being competitive at NASCAR includes more than just being able to drive, it means knowing how to have patience and find the right balance between fast lap times and making your tires and gas last as long as possible, it means knowing what words to use in describing to your crew chief how the car is handling in the corners and when it's in a crowd so that the chief can make the right adjustments during pit stops.

Buckshot Jones is a perfect example. I've watched him since his small track days here in Georgia. That boy could go be a stunt driver in hollywood with his talent in pushing a car to the limits that the laws of physics will allow. But he hasn't developed patience, or the ability to communicate fine handling problems to his crew, so he continues to struggle in the big leagues.

BTW..I pulled like hell for Bill Lester, not because he's black, but because he lives near me in Mableton, Georgia.

[HELLRAISER II]

A very unsucessful female driver who had made it into a NASCAR ride.

[Unicorn]

Double WHY