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.
Prior to tonight's race at @DAYTONA, the family of Wendell Scott was presented with a trophy commemorating his 1963 win at Speedway Park.
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) August 28, 2021
With that victory, Scott became the first Black driver to win at NASCAR's top level. pic.twitter.com/Ga8y1EuyOk
