NASCAR has a minority issue? Some believe the lack of minorities in NASCAR is with intent and they have taken an issue with NASCAR as a result. The truth is simple though and NASCAR’s lack of minorities is not NASCAR’s doing.
NASCAR is pushing 70 years old. 70 years, and it seems only in the last couple of decades we’ve placed more of an emphasis in trying to include more minorities in the sport. We’ve had a bit of a rough time trying to be taken seriously as a sport, especially when we’re faced with stereotypes like “bigoted” and “racist.” Admittedly, sometimes individuals, both fan and participant, can make the task of being taken seriously as an open sport difficult.
Yet at the same time, claims that the sport is “bigoted” and “racist” because of the small number of successful minorities involved comes across as ignorant and inherently stupid when those making the claims fail to adequately investigate the sport’s initiatives for drawing in minority youths. Yes, there is a larger ratio of white to minority in the sport, and yes, there is an even larger ratio of men to women. But considering the steps NASCAR has taken to bridge that gap and to give an equal opportunity to all (see: Danica Patrick), it’s foolish to consider that NASCAR isn’t doing anything to build up the presence of minorities in the sport.
Before I continue, let me share something told to me by NASCAR Late Model driver Dylan Smith. Smith is a driver for RevRacing, an organization that is prominent in NASCAR’s Drive For Diversity program, one of the programs centered around growing the minority presence in NASCAR. When asked about how, as a young black driver, he was drawn in NASCAR, he responded:
"People follow things that they can connect to on some kind of level, whether it be someone’s back story, the paint scheme of a car, what they look like, and so on. For me, I went to my local short track, Thunder Road Speedbowl, and it was love at first sight."
You see, NASCAR has it’s programs like the Drive For Diversity, it has the STEM Initiative for students, it’s had the Urban Youth Day, and so on. However Smith did the best thing possible, what turned out to ultimately be the first step on the road through the NASCAR ranks: He approached the sport with an open mind.
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Talk to anyone who isn’t a NASCAR fan. They’ll give a list of reasons why they’ll never consider going to a race. Nine out of 10 of those reading this will note that the reasons they’re given are nothing more than stereotypes. Close-minded, outdated or fast-vanishing stereotypes. Is it fair? No. Is it justified? Once upon a time, maybe, but not anymore. This generation of NASCAR we’re in now deserves new fans who come to the sport with a willingness to learn and absorb the sport for what it is on a scientific level as well as a competition level.
NASCAR isn’t just sitting idle. According to Smith:
"I feel like NASCAR as an industry has done a good job drumming up interest, but we can do better. Personally, I’m trying to become more and more active in the community because it gets me out there and helps me shed some light and change the mindset of people who make stereotypical assumptions."
Not to mention, the rule in the sport still stands: Anyone with a legal car and driver can race. No exceptions. Kyle Larson, a graduate of the Drive For Diversity program is out there racing and doing well. Darrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. is out there rising through the ranks and doing excellent as another graduate of the Drive For Diversity. Aric Almirola, a Cuban-American, is out there making a name for himself. These are just a small portion of the minorities in NASCAR. Smith keeps it simple:
"The easiest part of the whole thing is becoming a licensed NASCAR driver. It’s finding a solid backer to support you that’s always been the toughest. However, that’s the same for every driver out there, finding a backer to support them."
No exclusions. No addendum aimed at targeting race or gender. Become a NASCAR driver is the same for every participant climbing up through the ranks. Becoming successful in NASCAR, same thing. Look at Wallace. He isn’t successful because he’s black. He’s successful because he is a tremendous driver who possesses a ton of talent. He’s won in the Camping World Truck Series. He’s driven for two Xfinity programs, Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush-Fenway Racing, and has done incredibly well in both.
To put it bluntly regarding Wallace, he could very well become the second black driver to be inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame years from now, behind Wendell Scott. Scott, for those uninitiated in the sport of NASCAR, was the first black man to ever win a Sprint Cup event all the way back in 1963. Scott was a pioneer regarding minorities in NASCAR, and he overcame so many obstacles in those early days of racing that his spot in the Hall of Fame was well-earned.
Larson? He keeps running at the front like he has been, he could very well become a Hall of Famer as well. Several other minority drivers, male and female, are making their ways through through the ranks, many of whom with the potential to become stars in their own right. But that relies not on the matter of race or gender, but on their driving talent. It’s a sport for everyone.
So for people to call for a “boycott of NASCAR because a purported “lack of successful minorities,” it’s preposterous. If someone wants change in the sport, boycotting, griping, whining, whatever, it’s uncalled for and the wrong way to go about things. If there’s to be change in the sport, then it’s up to us as fans and participants to encourage young minds to approach the sport with open minds and a willingness to learn.
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Same goes with aspiring drivers. It’s up to them to earn it, to have that drive to give it their all and succeed. Protesting isn’t going to get anything done, complaining doesn’t get anything done. As NASCAR great Smokey Yunick used to say, “Never complain, never explain.” There’s also another adage regarding change. Paraphrasing it so that it fits the tone of this article, it’s something along the lines of, “If you want change, don’t try to change the sport. Change the way you approach the sport.”