By Stephen G. Hall, PHD
Imagine the roar of cars, the anticipation of the starting flags, the riving of engines. These are the familiar sights and sounds of NASCAR. The high energy races and the sounds of Formula One Racing machines are etched in the minds of generations of Americans. These memories can also be paired with the problematic rituals of car racing. Perhaps, one of the most common was the Confederate flag flying proudly over a sea of white spectators and a majority white field of teams and drivers.
The relative absence of African Americans in racing has gone largely unnoticed and unacknowledged. The success of Bubba Wallace, Jr., an African American Formula One driver, is a recent occurrence. He has competed in major races largely alone. Wallace’s recent outfitting of his car in Black Lives Matter casing and the discovery of a noose in his racing car garage stall have catapulted him into the national spotlight. The presence of a noose has historically foreshadowed a lynching. Lynching was used in the United States as an extrajudicial punishment for African Americans who challenged the system of legalized segregation known as Jim Crow. Interestingly, Wallace is only one of four Black drivers in the history of NASCAR who have won events and among seven African Americans who have raced in NASCAR’s top cup series.
Racing has largely remained a white dominated sport. Blacks make up about 8 percent of the fan base. Despite the sport’s inward focus and distinctly Southern character, Blacks have played an important role in the NASCAR and they are still struggling for recognition and respect.
One of the first participants in a NASCAR race was Elias Bowie. He raced at the Grand National at Bay Meadows Speedway in San Mateo, California in 1955. He started at the 31st position and finished 28th. In some ways, Bowie’s success mirrored the changes in the United States coming one year after Brown v. Board of Education, which overturned legalized segregation in American education.
One of the first well recognized African American drivers was Wendell Scott. Scott was active in the sport from 1961 to 1973. His career coincided with the high points of the Civil Rights and Black Power eras. Beginning in 1962 and during his career, Smith participated in 495 races. In 1963, he won a race at the Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida becoming the first African American driver to win a race. He held this record until 2013. Scott has four consecutive 10-ten-point finishes. He concluded his career at no less than 10th in the final standings from 1966 to 1969.
In 1971, George Wiltshire competed in the Islip 250, a NASCAR Winston Cup Race series at Islip Speedway in Islip, New York. The track was only 2 miles in length. The Islip was supposed to run 250 laps but only 230 were run. Wiltshire started in the 29thspot and dropped out after two laps. Wilshire suffered a similar fate at the Purolator 500 at Pocono International Raceway. He completed just 15 of the 200 laps before bowing out.
Randy Bethea became the fourth African American to star at a top tier NASCAR race. He raced in the World 600 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. He started in the 39th position and finished 33rd.Willy Ribbs started 3 races in 1986. He finished only one race at 13 laps down and in 22nd. He started two more races that year for DiGard racing, but he suffered an engine failure in both races. Similarly, Ribbs’ successor, Bill Lester had a Busch Series start in 1999, but did not get a full NASCAR Ride until the NASCAR Truck Series in 2002. In 2012, he began racing cars in the Rolex Grand Am series. He became the first African American driver to win in any Grand Am division.
Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. is only the fourth African American participant in NASCAR to win a major race. His interest in racing stemmed from his childhood in Mobile, Alabama. He began his NASCAR career in 2010 with regional races in the K&N Pro Series East and later nationally in 2012 with a Xfinity Series Race in at the Iowa Speedway. He came in ninth. As he raced Wallace supported the “Black Lives Matter” movement against police brutality and injustices t facing the Black community. In 2013, Wallace got his first win at the Martinsville Speedway. He also finished sixth in the Xfinity Series 2016 season opener at Daytona and served four times as a relief driver for Richard Petty Motorsports.
The recent controversy regarding Wallace marks a long history of Black exclusion and marginalization in NASCAR. Although NASCAR has made efforts to diversify, these efforts have been somewhat limited impacting team ownership, pit crews and the recent appointment of a Diversity and Inclusion officer. Black participation has been incredibly low. NASCAR like many other American institutions needs a close look and overhaul. Maybe then more African Americans can see their cars and teams pass the checkered flag.
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Previously published on Historianspeaks.org.
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