Opportunities coming up for minorities in NASCAR

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

[Afronaut]

Opportunities coming up for minorities in NASCAR

After several failed attempts, NASCAR is trying again to bring more ethnic diversity to auto racing. This time, former NFL star Reggie White is lending a hand.

Two new programs will use the stock car sanctioning body's weekly late-model series to help minority drivers and crewmen find a place in the sport.

Access Marketing and Communications, in a partnership with NASCAR, will begin a training program in 2004 called "Drive for Diversity" to find rides for four drivers and up to 12 crewmen in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series.

In the other program, Reggie White, with help from Joe Gibbs Racing, has formed a team that will race one minority driver in a Friday night series and another in a Saturday night series at tracks in North and South Carolina.

"We're out selling this the same as if we were a competitive team," said Daryl Stewart, general manager of Access, a public relations company. "NASCAR doesn't write the checks. All this is going to be sponsored with corporate money."

The newly formed Reggie White Motorsports with Joe Gibbs Racing has primary sponsors signed for both of its cars for 2004, although the team is still looking for associate sponsors.

Steve de Souza, vice president for Busch operations at Joe Gibbs Racing, is overseeing the new program. He said White, and Joe Gibbs and his son, J.D., are committed to making the program work and will make up any shortfall in the budget for next season.

And they will be working with Access on the project.

"That is the group that's going to be promoting and utilizing this as a template," de Souza said.

NASCAR has grown in popularity over the past 10 years. It has a $2.6 billion TV contract that has helped the stock car sport reach millions more people and will become even more mainstream next season when Nextel replaces Winston as the sponsor of its top series.

"Diversity has become a very visible and important issue in our sport," NASCAR spokesman Terrence Burns said. "The time is right for a very serious program that will be part of the foundation of the sport in the future."

In its search for new markets, the Southern-born sport wants to shed the last vestiges of its Good Ol' Boy image and reach out to blacks, Hispanics and other minorities who can buy tickets, watch races on TV or use its sponsors' products.

The key to attracting such new markets may well be finding a new star that appeals to them, like Tiger Woods in golf.

There is only one black team owner, Sam Belnavis, and only a handful of minority crewman in NASCAR's top series.

The new programs come at a time another one is ending in a sport that has had trouble finding funding for such initiatives.

Dodge announced that its diversity program will not return next year, meaning that Dodge driver Bill Lester, who is black, has no sponsor for his truck team. The Dodge program was responsible for placing Lester and several black crew members.

Wendell Scott is the only black driver to win at NASCAR's highest level, in 1963, but his career did not pave the way for other minorities.

The weekly late-model series will offer new opportunities.

Founded in 1982, the less costly series features 75 tracks in the United States and more than 8,000 drivers.

"Primarily you drive at one or two tracks, you drive a Friday night and Saturday night," Stewart said. "You get your friends, who are your mechanic or your pit crew and a local car wash or local restaurant is your sponsor."

That can still cost up to $150,000 a year, once you own your own equipment, he said, and that's just the start.

"Once you jump from the weekly series and get into the Busch or the Craftsman Truck Series, it's a quantum leap in financial commitment," Stewart said.

Stewart said Access will get resumes from drivers in the next week or two, pick the top candidates and test them on tracks before making final selections.

Some crew members will be recruited from traditionally black schools, like North Carolina A&T, which already has a training program. Stewart said Access is also asking established NASCAR teams to provide mentors to coach and advise the selected drivers and the crewmen.

White's team has already started looking for drivers.

"We have had well over 250 applicants since the word hit the street," de Souza said. "As you can imagine, it's a variety of individuals. ... We've had a couple that have had speeding tickets and they think that qualifies them.

"It's more or less a scholarship opportunity, where we feel we can bring somebody in and get him started. Then Reggie, hopefully, would like to grow the program, and if the driver's talented enough, we'll be able to move him to the next level, whether it be trucks or Busch."

The White-Gibbs team will pair its drivers with veteran crews. (White was unavailable for comment on the program.)

"I think that for the first go-around here, we're going to support the program with experienced people," de Souza said. "Once we get going with that, we'll probably expand it into bringing in new people and starting training them.

"Our mission is to try to make the driver as successful as possible as quick as possible."

Copyright 2003 .

[TC Rider]

Why doesn't NASCAR start an amateur series where the drivers race Honda's with big fins and 24 inch wheels?

[stainlessbanner]

I was pulling for Buckshot at the Peepee 400 this year.

[randog]

Thanks.

[Fierce Allegiance]

In addition to driving, a critical part of being a successful nascar driver is being the pitch boy for the sponsors products.

[Vigilantcitizen]

If he ever can excercise those small track ways that win 25 lap features but guarantee early cup race exits, he'll be in the game.

If I were an owner, I'd grab him. I believe some tough love, aka Bobby Knight, might shake the boy into his senses.

[dsrtsage]

I haven't personally read the Nascar charter, however I find it hard to believe that there is some clause specifically banning minorities. Nor do I believe there has ever been a sign outside the nascar office reading "negroes need not apply". Therefore, as has been said over and over again in the above posts...."Why?"

[Afronaut]

Two Door only!

[Vigilantcitizen]

"In addition to driving, a critical part of being a successful nascar driver is being the pitch boy for the sponsors products."

Typical post victory interview...

"That {Insert multi-company shameless plug here} car was on the money today, like the {Insert multi-company shameless plug here} car has been all year. And the {Insert multi-company shameless plug here} team did a great job all week in the fab shop and in the pit stall. A complete team effort for the {Insert multi-company shameless plug here} organization as a whole."

Yeah, I know what ya mean.

[commish]

Shawna Robinson is a Stock Driver who had some limited success at lower levels of the sport, she moved up to the ARCA series and had enough success to catch some rides in the Busch series. Despite the fact that she never showed any ability no move beyond the late model or ARCA series (her Busch results were dismal to put it kindly) she was put in a fulltime WINSTON CUP ride this season.

An omen to the team should have been the fact that got ZERO, ZIP, ZILCH, NADA sponsorship for the car.

Even with that they attempted to field a team with inferior equipment and an unqualified driver. Shawna flopped completely -- she qualified less than half the races she attempted, and the one she did qualify in she either wrecked, blew up or finished multiple laps down.

Can't remember the track, but one race she had no mechanical problems and was still lapped by the ENTIRE field within 15 laps.

She was finally canned about mid season --NASCAR veteran Kenny Schrader is now driving --and even with no sponsor and horribly outclassed equipment he has been able to run in the top 10 and 20 of many races (at least before the car blows up)

[Vigilantcitizen]

"I haven't personally read the Nascar charter, however I find it hard to believe that there is some clause specifically banning minorities. Nor do I believe there has ever been a sign outside the nascar office reading "negroes need not apply". Therefore, as has been said over and over again in the above posts...."Why?"

Because NASCAR, like 90% of Americans, have heard "The big lie" for so long, they really believe it's true.

[Mr. Bird]

Therefore, as has been said over and over again in the above posts...."Why?"

Umm....to increase the fan base maybe? NASCAR doesn't give a crap about giving one or two drivers the opportunity to compete. They give a crap about the millions of people who may start buying their and their sponsors' products if those one or two drivers succeed.

It makes perfect economic sense and it's financed privately. As long as they don't change qualifying rules to ensure a "diverse" field, I say it's a smart move.

[tubebender]

... and will become even more mainstream next season when Nextel replaces Winston as the sponsor of its top series

The writer should soak his head in a barrel of his favorite Chardonnay...

[HELLRAISER II]

Her situation just like this of an underskilled driver in NASCAR will only result in their humiliation and or getting themselves hurt or killed and let me tell you the drivers really do point fingers at the unskilled Kamikaze drivers out there.

[Blue Screen of Death]

I am going to start the O.J. Simpson Getaway Driving School.

[headsonpikes]

RE: opportunities for minorities

I'll be keeping my eyes peeled for Orthodox Jews in the pits.

They should stand out. ;^)

[Arpege92]

NASCAR has contributed large amounts of money, but Jesse Jackson never delivered. We should be asking Jesse about this....not NASCAR.

[HELLRAISER II]

Do you know what the dollar figures were?

[Elsie]

"We're out selling this the same as if we were a competitive team," said Daryl Stewart

 

and...

 

"You'll be getting the price it's worth because it is NOT a "competitive team," says me!

 

---

 

They don't have any choice....

 

SURE they do!  Just tell Jesse to get lost and give him not a minutes more of your time!

[Arpege92]

I believe it was $200,000. NASCAR donated that money and yet Jesse Jackson hasn't followed through.

[commish]

Her situation just like this of an underskilled driver in NASCAR will only result in their humiliation and or getting themselves hurt or killed and let me tell you the drivers really do point fingers at the unskilled Kamikaze drivers out there.

Probably why her nickname around the Garage is Shawna WRECKERson ;-)

I have no problem with teams bringing up kids like McMurry, Vickers, etc --guys who have had success at Bbusch level and show the skills to compete. It is the "rolling Cautions" that you and I are in agreement about.

While I realize his death was a tragedy and a result of an equipment malfunction and basically bad luck, I have all along maintained that Adam Petty was not ready to drive a WINSTON CUP car. The kid was a good driver, but he had not proven himself fully at the Busch level IMO. I think his name and the need for Petty Enterprises to post any type of a success led to him being put in that car way to early