WASHINGTON - Don't expect to spot any black drivers when this weekend's Daytona 500 kicks off the 2004 NASCAR season. While NASCAR's logo contains a rainbow of colors, the diversity of hues doesn't translate to the track. Auto racing continues to be a sport of mostly white competitors and fans.
In 2003, Bill Shack of the Rev. Jesse L. Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition called auto racing "the last bastion of white supremacy" in professional sports. That's not the case. NASCAR officials want minority drivers, crew and fans, but there's not a whole lot they can do about drivers. The fundamental problem is that it's hard for drivers to break into the sport.
Unlike basketball or football, raw talent isn't enough to get an aspiring driver to the checkered flag first. There are no walk-ons in auto racing. To compete in the Nextel Cup Series, the major league of NASCAR, a driver literally needs to be the "Six Million-Dollar Man." That's the estimated minimum cost for maintaining a car and crew of a dozen for a season.
For a new driver, it's a daunting obstacle. It's little wonder that the sport is dominated by family names such as Earnhardt, Petty, Marlin and Waltrip.
Contrary to Mr. Shack's assertion, however, racing is not devoid of, or averse to, minorities. In 1963, Wendell Scott, who had been involved in NASCAR since the early days, became the first and so far only black driver to win a major-league race. Bill Lester currently drives in the Craftsman Truck Series, and there are many more black drivers champing at the bit to compete.
NASCAR has responded to Rainbow/PUSH's criticism with a "Drive for Diversity" program to create four minority drivers and crews for regional Dodge Weekly Series races. Former NFL superstar Reggie White also plans to field a minority driver backed by a veteran crew in the Carolinas.
But this still won't ensure Jeff Gordon and Rusty Wallace will face a black competitor in the future. The "Tiger Woods of NASCAR" won't get anywhere near the track at Watkins Glen or Daytona without proper funding.
Corporate America can effectively break auto racing's color barrier by sponsoring minority drivers and crews. NASCAR sponsorships, which give drivers money to compete, are a lucrative prospect for savvy businesses. The sport boasts 75 million fans and experienced a 19 percent boost between 2000 and 2002 alone.
