NASCAR finally making things right for Wendell Scott
By Randy Smith
Wendell Scott was never awarded his trophy for his only NASCAR win. Now, NASCAR will finally change that through his family.
Wendell Scott made history more than 57 years ago in December 1963 by becoming the first African American driver to win what was then called a NASCAR Grand National Series race.
Scott won at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, beating out Buck Backer for the checkered flag. However, the trophy for the race was given to Baker instead of Scott.
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Now NASCAR will look to finally correct that error by awarding Scott’s family his race-winning trophy on the weekend of Coca Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway at the end of August.
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The driver/team owner of Scott Racing passed away in 1990 due to spinal cancer, and he was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. Often referred to as the Jackie Robinson of NASCAR, Scott not only broke a barrier in the sport, but most importantly, he belonged, just like anyone else.
Throughout his career, the Danville, Virginia native posted 147 top 10 finishes, including 20 top five finishes, as well as a pole position start in addition to his lone victory. His best finish in the championship standings was a sixth place effort in 1966.
Now Scott’s family gets to honor his legacy and formally accept his trophy on his behalf.
While this is a momentous occasions, Scott’s legacy has been subject to tribute within the sport before as well — even beyond his Hall of Fame induction.
In 2014, David Ragan drove a tribute car that matched the #34 car Scott drove throughout his career — and won in. Most recently, 23XI driver Bubba Wallace ran a throwback paint scheme to Scott during the throwback race at Darlington Raceway in May.
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Referred to as a driver who “did more with less than any driver that I’ve ever seen in the sport” by fellow Hall of Famer Ned Jarrett, Scott’s legacy of a racing pioneer will live on once again during the last race weekend of the 2021 regular season at Daytona International Speedway.