The new face of NASCAR: race, money, and politics, in motor sports' fast lane

Black Enterprise, April, 2004 by Sonia Alleyne, T.R. Witcher

On a warm but breezy morning in Florida, Bill Lester is surrounded by a flurry of activity. Although it's the middle of winter, the 80-degree weather promises for a good day at the track. Standing amid an array of tires, tools, and oil canisters, Lester is the calm in the middle of a storm. Technicians and mechanics dressed in multicolored uniforms rush to prepare their 650-horsepower beasts to race the 3.2-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway.

The garages that house these mighty race vehicles are more reminiscent of the antiseptic rooms of NASA than the oily, grimy confines of traditional garages. Breaking the silence is the occasional deafening howl of a combustion engine as a vehicle streaks past. The growl eventually fades into the distance, yet the choreographed gust of activity continues for what is known as SpeedWeek.

Lester, the handsome, polished, amiable driver of Bill Davis Racing's No. 22 Toyota Tundra, remains so calm that it seems quite impossible that he will soon be turning laps at 190 mph in the qualifying session of the Craftsman Truck Series. But after 11 years in the cutthroat business of fighting for corporate sponsorship dollars, an afternoon drive brings its own kind of peace.

Lester is among some of the new faces of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, the sanctioning body of a sporting division once associated with Confederate flag waving. NASCAR is now looking build upon its growing African American fan base by showcasing its black drivers and owners. George Pyne, NASCAR's chief operating officer, hopes the organization finds its Tiger Woods or Williams sisters to generate excitement and take the sport to the next level, but some remain critical of its diversity efforts.

Many doubt that NASCAR is willing to upset the status quo of its traditional fan base. This begs several questions: If there were a Tiger Woods of motor sports in the pipeline, would NASCAR be ready for him? Would he step into an environment that would cultivate and encourage success? Would African American spectators feel welcome in an organization where the flying of Confederate flags was once commonplace?

This is something NASCAR must address soon. According to an ESPN sports poll conducted in 2002, more than 6.6 million NASCAR fans are African American, representing 8.9% of the sport's entire fan base, and an increase of 29% since 1999. The poll also indicates that African American fans are slightly more affluent than African Americans who are not fans. In light of this, diversity efforts are fiscally crucial for NASCAR's continued growth.

From an African American perspective, NASCAR's past is checkered at best. Images of good ol' boys aside, there is the story of Wendell Scott, the first African American driver/owner who raced from 1961 to 1972 in the Grand National Division, the precursor to the Winston Cup Series. Scott won his only race in Jacksonville in 1964, but he wasn't declared a winner or allowed to come into the winner's circle to collect his award until hours after the race, when fans had gone home. Scott died in 1990 and has yet to be awarded a proper trophy, according to his daughter Sybil Scott.

It's also no secret that drivers and owners have had a hard time existing longer than a season or two. Stock car racing is one of the last major American professional sports where blacks have struggled to gain presence. No African American drivers compete in NASCAR's two top levels--the Nextel Cup and Busch Series. Lester, 43, is the only black driver competing in NASCAR's third tier, the Craftsman Truck Series.

Ownership has also been challenged. Currently, there is only one African American team owner in all of NASCAR--63-year old Sam Belnavis. He has a minority stake in Rousch Racing.

NASCAR began its inroads into the minority market by opening tracks in urban centers such as Dallas, Los Angeles, and Chicago and establishing a diversity council in 2000. The council consists of 44 members who are drivers, owners, sponsors, and others connected to motor sports. The goal of the council, headed by Brian France, the organization's new CEO and grandson of NASCAR founder Bill France Sr., is to address professional development as well as build a minority fan base.

Michael Warmack claims that NASCAR's efforts are mostly window dressing. As director of business development for Grupo Mundo Inc., a Florida-based marketing and management company, Warmack is working to bring diversity to the motor sports industry. In 2003, Grupo Mundo structured a merchandising and marketing deal for rapper Nelly to sponsor a truck in the Craftsman Series. Warmack insists that NASCAR's big push for diversity offers little substance and is only intended for the organization's financial gain. "NASCAR has reached its apex," he explains. "Their only option for growth is to look at other markets." He believes that NASCAR has been more interested in featuring faces than actually developing drivers.

To Warmack's point, NASCAR officials do acknowledge their financial goals. "We're like any other sport or business," says Pyne. "We're trying to grow. All minorities are attractive for us. They have a significant amount of buying power. It's good for our business. We'll increase ticket sales; we'll increase viewership; we'll increase licensing." Between 1998 and 2002, NASCAR's fan base increased from 63 million to 75 million; total sponsorship exposure value for the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, now known as the Nextel Cup Series, increased 208% from $1.2 billion to $3.7 billion. The organization's licensed product sales grew from $950 million to over $2 billion. Though it trails the NFL in television ratings, NASCAR is squarely in second place with almost twice the network ratings as Major League Baseball and the National Basketball Association.