Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NASCAR. Show all posts

Monday, October 04, 2021

Bubba Wallace joins Wendell Scott as second Black driver to win in NASCAR’s top series

Bubba Wallace posted his first NASCAR Cup Series victory Monday at Talladega Superspeedway, becoming the first Black driver to prevail in the sport’s premier division in nearly 58 years. Scott, a NASCAR Hall of Famer, is the only other Black competitor with a Cup Series win.

Wallace, in his fourth full season of Cup Series competition, also made winners of 23XI Racing, a new organization headed by co-owners Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin. The 27-year-old was tapped by the NBA legend and his fellow Cup Series driver for the No. 23 Toyota after driving three years for team owner Richard Petty.

Scott’s lone Cup Series victory came on Dec. 1, 1963 in Jacksonville, Florida. Buck Baker was initially flagged as the winner, but a protest and a later scoring recount gave the triumph to Scott.

That win came at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and race officials — reluctant to celebrate a Black driver’s triumph in the Deep South — did not give him a proper Victory Lane celebration at the time. NASCAR officials righted that wrong earlier this year in pre-race ceremonies before the Cup Series’ regular-season finale in August at Daytona International Speedway.

Scott made 495 starts in NASCAR’s top series, recording 20 top-five finishes. His driving days ended in 1973 and he died in 1990 at age 69. He would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year.

Wallace previously had broken through in the NASCAR national-tour ranks, notching six Camping World Truck Series wins. One of those triumphs came carrying Scott’s longtime car number, driving a retro-themed No. 34 entry at Martinsville Speedway to honor the driver’s selection for the NASCAR Hall of Fame’s Class of 2015.

Wallace drove the No. 23 for his first trip to Victory Lane in the Cup Series, using the number that Jordan wore for the majority of his Hall of Fame basketball career. It marked only the fourth Cup Series win for that car number and the first since 1954. Frank Mundy has two wins with the No. 23, and Al Keller registered one.

[SOURCE: NASCAR]

Sunday, August 29, 2021

Family of Wendell Scott first Black man to win NASCAR Cup race, finally receives a trophy for that 1963 victory

NASCAR presented a trophy to the family of Wendell Scott on Saturday night in Daytona.

Scott, the first Black man to win a race in NASCAR's Cup Series, never got the trophy from his win at Jacksonville in 1963. Scott wasn't even declared the winner immediately after the race.

Buck Baker was originally declared the winner of that race and presented the trophy in victory lane. After Baker posed for pictures with the white trophy girl in victory lane, NASCAR officials realized a mistake had occurred following Scott’s protest. A couple hours after the race was over, Scott was awarded the win when NASCAR realized the race had gone on longer than it should have.

Scott never got the trophy from the win, however. It was gone from the track by the time he was officially declared the winner. Scott’s family continued the search for the trophy after his death in 1990 and never found it.

Saturday night, Scott's family got to get a trophy representing the win nearly 60 years later. He raced nearly 500 times at NASCAR's top level from 1961-73 and had 20 top-five finishes.

Sunday, September 27, 2020

BUBBA WALLACE TO RECEIVE THE STAN MUSIAL AWARD FOR EXTRAORDINARY CHARACTER

Recognizing class, dignity and strength, it’s one of the most important awards in sports. And this year, it goes to one of the most important sports figures of 2020 – an athlete who has had a profound impact on his sport and the national dialogue surrounding racial justice and unity. NASCAR driver Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. is the recipient of the 2020 Stan Musial Award for Extraordinary Character.

Bestowed annually at the Musial Awards in St. Louis, the Stan Musial Award for Extraordinary Character honors an individual who demonstrates remarkable poise, perseverance and overall sportsmanship. Although this year’s live Musial Awards is unable to take place due to the pandemic, Wallace will be honored – and presented his award – in the Musial Awards television broadcast airing nationally on CBS on Saturday, Dec. 26 (time TBD).

Wallace drives the famed No. 43 car for Richard Petty Motorsports in the NASCAR Cup Series. As the only Black driver in NASCAR’s top circuit, he has been a trailblazer in his sport. In 2013, he won his first of six career NASCAR Truck Series races, becoming the first African-American in 50 years to post a victory in one of NASCAR’s top three national touring series. In 2018, he became the first African-American to race fulltime in NASCAR’s premier Cup Series and finished second in his Daytona 500 debut. Along the way, he has persevered through experiences of being on the receiving end of bigotry and prejudice.

This year, as the nation has grappled with unrest and injustice, Wallace took a courageous, visible stand promoting tolerance, understanding and unity, underscored by his push for NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag at races. Under the media microscope, he has demonstrated tremendous grace, humility and decency.

“Bubba Wallace exemplifies what the Stan Musial Award for Extraordinary Character is all about,” said Frank Viverito, president of the St. Louis Sports Commission, which produces the Musial Awards with the National Sportsmanship Foundation. “He has overcome much to be where he is, and he has courageously stepped forward to take an important stand for change. He is most deserving of an award that stands for sportsmanship and character, and is named for Stan Musial, whose own actions promoted racial acceptance and unity.”

In addition to receiving an award named for the greatest Cardinal of them all, Wallace has another St. Louis connection. He is sponsored by St. Louis-based World Wide Technology. Bob Olwig, V.P. corporate business development, said, “World Wide Technology is proud of what Bubba has accomplished and the impact he is having on NASCAR, society and generations to come. We were thrilled to find out the Musial Awards wanted to recognize him. The character, kindness and courage Bubba has shown make him so deserving of this prestigious honor.”

Wallace joins Hank Aaron as a 2020 Musial Awards honoree. The baseball legend is receiving the Stan Musial Lifetime Achievement Award for Sportsmanship. The Lifetime Achievement and Extraordinary Character awards are two special honors bestowed by the Musial Awards. Other 2020 Musial Award recipients will be announced in the coming weeks.

Past recipients of the Stan Musial Award for Extraordinary Character include St. Louis Blues superfan Laila Anderson, Loyola University Basketball Chaplain Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt (now 101 years young), soon-to-be Basketball Hall of Famer Tamika Catchings, and Little League World Series star Mo’ne Davis.

The Musial Awards – presented by Maryville University – celebrate the year’s greatest moments of sportsmanship and those in sports who embody class and character. The national event and its awards are named for St. Louis Cardinals legend Stan Musial, a beloved baseball superstar and civic icon who personified sportsmanship. In addition to keeping alive the legacy of Stan The Man, the mission of the Musial Awards is to encourage kindness, selflessness, integrity and civility in sports and society – and to inspire people across the nation to be good sports. The Musial Awards has taken place in St. Louis since 2005, and in normal times, occurs the Saturday before Thanksgiving at the historic 3,000-seat Stifel Theatre in Downtown St. Louis. It is produced by the St. Louis Sports Commission and the National Sportsmanship Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization.

 

Monday, July 06, 2020

Bubba Wallace statement after President Trump falsely accuses him of hoax

Bubba Wallace issued this statement via Twitter on Monday afternoon, hours after President Donald Trump continued his practice of attacking Black athletes falsely accused him of perpetrating a hoax at Talladega.

“Your words and actions will always be held to a higher standard than others,” Wallace wrote. You have to be prepared for that. You don’t learn these things in school. You learn them from trials and tribulations, the ups and downs this crazy world provides. You will always have people testing you. Seeing if they can knock you off your pedestal. I encourage you to keep your head held high and walk proudly on the path you have chosen. Never let anybody tell you you can’t do something! God put us all here for a reason. Find that reason and be proud of it and work your tails off every day towards it! All the haters are doing is elevating your voice and platform to greater heights!”

“Last thing, always deal with the hate being thrown at you with love! Love over hate every day. Love should come naturally as people are taught to hate.”

“Even when it’s hate from the POTUS.”

“Love wins.”

Monday, June 22, 2020

Dept. of Justice investigating noose found in NASCAR star Bubba Wallace's garage stall

Department of Justice investigators said Monday they are looking into the noose that was found in NASCAR star Bubba Wallace's garage stall.

"The U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Alabama, FBI and the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division are reviewing the situation surrounding the noose that was found in Bubba Wallace's garage to determine whether there are violations of federal law," US Attorney Jay E. Town said in statement.

"Regardless of whether federal charges can be brought, this type of action has no place in our society."

Wallace, the only Black driver in NASCAR's top circuit, has been an outspoken advocate of the Black Lives Matter movement and the corresponding protests against systemic racism and police brutality. He wore an "I Can't Breathe" shirt before one event, repainted his car with the "Black Lives Matter" phrase and called on NASCAR to ban the Confederate flag, which the organization agreed to do June 10. [SOURCE CNN]

Saturday, June 13, 2020

Family of first Black full-time in NASCAR driver reacts to Confederate flag ban

Nearly six decades after Wendell Scott became the first African-American to be a full-time driver in NASCAR's top division, his family is applauding the company's decision to ban the Confederate flag at events.

Tuesday, June 06, 2017

Darrell Wallace Jr. will be NASCAR's first black Cup driver since 2006

There isn't much diversity in NASCAR. Maybe a splash of Bubba will help change that.

Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. will become just the fourth African-American -- and first since 2006 -- to get behind the wheel during a Cup race, starting this weekend when he fills in for an injured Aric Almirola at Pocono.

Wallace has been competing on the Xfinity and Truck series for the past five years. He has five career Truck wins, and seven top-10 finishes in 11 Xfinity races this season.

"I am ready to represent this organization, help the 43 team get the best results possible and prove that I belong at this level," Wallace said in a release.

SOURCE: MLive

Monday, September 19, 2016

NASCAR sued for racial discrimination against black owned teams/drivers

Black-owned teams and drivers say they’ve been blocked from competing.

NASCAR was hit with a $500 million lawsuit accusing the auto racing body of racial discrimination for preventing black-owned teams and drivers from competing, including in the Sprint Cup Series.

Terrance Cox and his company, Diversity Motorsports Racing, filed a lawsuit late on Friday in U.S. district court in Manhattan against NASCAR, its parent company, International Speedway Corp, and 18 teams, according to court records.

The plaintiffs are also seeking an injunction requiring the defendants to “fully integrate the African-American community.”

In a statement, NASCAR said the lawsuit has no merit.

“Diversity both on and off the track continues to be a top priority for NASCAR and its stakeholders,” the organization said. “We stand behind our actions, and will not let a publicity-seeking legal action deter us from our mission.”

Read more: Auto Racing's NASCAR Accused of Racial Discrimination in Lawsuit