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Wendell Scott – Time to be Recognized

An Opinion



August 11, 2009

By Allen Madding

Allen Madding
After my recent article on Wendell Scott, I received an email from author Brian Donovan and subsequently a copy of his well written and well researched biography of Scott, “Hard Driving”. After reading the book cover to cover in two evenings, I would personally recommend anyone interested in the early years of NASCAR to pick up a copy of Brian Donovan’s “Hard Driving” to learn more about the life and racing career of Wendell Scott, a NASCAR pioneer.

Donovan provided information on the upcoming Wendell Scott Recognition Day and the petition drive to have the driver included in the NASCAR Hall of Fame.


Hard Driving

Wendell Scott Recognition Day will be held on September 12, 2009 from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., at the Virginia Museum of Natural History in Martinsville, Virginia. Admission for the event is free.

The event will include a film about Wendell Scott’s life and NASCAR racing career, an exhibition of vintage stock cars from the 1950s and 1960s, and a display of paintings of Scott and his race cars by Martinsville artist Alexir Hairston, the event’s chief organizer. There will be several speakers including Brian Donovan, author of Scott’s Biography, “Hard Driving” (www.harddriving.us).

During his life and career in stock car racing, Wendell Scott endured insults and adversity to pursue a career in a sport he loved. He has yet to be inducted into the National Motorsports Hall of Fame, and his name was not in the recently released list of 25 nominees for NASCAR’s new Hall of Fame scheduled to open in Charlotte.

Wendell Scott was a pioneer in the world of stock car racing in a time when it was unpopular for a black man to compete in a white man’s sport. Unlike Major League Baseball’s Jackie Robinson, Scott did not have the strong support of the sanctioning body to ensure equal and fair treatment or protection. He did not have corporate sponsor financing, and he did not have the backing of the Big Three automotive manufacturers that poured money into NASCAR Grand National teams of the day. Wendell Scott made his own way in the formative years of stock car racing with the support of a small team comprised of his sons and close friends, and with the occasional donation of parts and “get home money” from fellow competitors.

In the course of 13 seasons in NASCAR’s Grand National Series later renamed the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, the forerunners to today’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, Wendell Scott made 495 starts, recording 1 win, 1 pole, 20 top five and 147 top ten finishes. The man earned his way into the annals of racing history and clearly deserves a prominent place in any NASCAR related Hall of Fame.

Some have argued that Scott does not deserve to be included in the NASCAR Hall of Fame because his resume is not as impressive as other drivers. While individuals like Bill France, Sr. , Bill France, Jr., “Humpy” Wheeler, and Clay Earles did not record an impressive list of NASCAR race wins, they all have made a significant contribution to the sport and have been inducted into various Racing Halls and are sure to be inducted into NASCAR’s Hall of Fame.

Scott was NASCAR’s first black competitor in a day when he was not welcome in the sport. Despite the adversity, he won a NASCAR event and deserves his place in the Hall of Fame.

Hairston plans to provide Wendell Scott Recognition Day attendees the opportunity to sign a petition which reads:

“We urge NASCAR to recognize Wendell Scott’s pioneering accomplishments as a racer in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame. We believe that the facility should include an exhibit honoring Scott’s unique struggle and his passion for racing. We request that Scott be nominated in the near future for consideration as an inductee.”

NASCAR fans are strongly encouraged to attend this historic event and to consider signing the petition for Wendell Scott’s inclusion into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. Those who cannot attend but wish to support the petition are asked to email their comments to Alexir Hairston at AHHMSH@yahoo.com.

You can contact Allen Madding at .. Insider Racing News
You Can Read Other Articles By Allen Madding

The thoughts and ideas expressed by this writer or any other writer on Insider Racing News, are not necessarily the views of the staff and/or management of IRN.

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