Wendell Oliver Scott was a stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. He is the 1st black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series and was previously the only black driver to win. According to a 2008 biography of Scott, he broke the color barrier in Southern stock car racing on May 23, 1952, at the Danville Fairgrounds Speedway. The book, Hard Driving: The American Odyssey of NASCARs First Black Driver, says that after gaining experience and winning some local races at various Virginia tracks, Scott became the first African-American to obtain a NASCAR racing license, apparently in 1953, although NASCAR does not have the exact date. The book says that Scotts career was repeatedly affected by racial prejudice and problems with top-level NASCAR officials. However, his determined struggle as an underdog won him thousands of white fans and many friends and admirers among his fellow racers. LEGACY: •The film Greased Lightning, starring Richard Pryor as Scott, was loosely based on Scotts biography. •Mojo Nixon, a fellow Danville native, wrote a tribute song titled The Ballad of Wendell Scott, which appears on Nixon and Skid Ropers 1986 album, Frenzy. •Inducted as a member of the 2000 class of The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and Museum located in Portsmouth, VA. •Scott has a street named after him in his hometown of Danville. •Only 6 other black drivers are known to have started at least one race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series: Elias Bowie, Charlie Scott, George Wiltshire, Randy Bethea, Willy T. Ribbs and, most recently, Bill Lester, who made the field for races at Atlanta and Michigan in 2006. Those drivers have made a combined 9 Cup starts. •Filmmaker John W. Warner directed a documentary about Scott, titled The Wendell Scott Story, released in 2003 with narration by the filmmakers father, former U.S. Senator John Warner. The film included interviews with fellow race-car drivers, including Richard Petty. •Scott is prominently featured in the 1975 book The Worlds Number One, Flat-Out, All-Time Great Stock Car Racing Book, written by Jerry Bledsoe. •In April 2012, Scott was nominated for inclusion in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and was selected for induction in the 2015 class, in May 2014. •In January 2013, Scott was awarded his own historical marker in Danville, Virginia. The markers statement will be “Persevering over prejudice and discrimination, Scott broke racial barriers in NASCAR, with a 13-year career that included 20 top five and 147 top ten finishes. Wendall O. Scott died in Danville, Virginia from spinal cancer on December 23, 1990 See the movie See the movie Greased Lightning starring Richard Pryor. Greased Lightning trailer: youtu.be/YTlM__C5AbE
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 21:17:47 +0000
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