And he won in Jacksonville. At one point it was discussed painting our Challenge car in his livery.
Whenever we post something on the Grassroots Motorsports Facebook page, it’s a total guess as to how it will do. Something we actually spent some time and brain power crafting? Never know, it could blow up and succeed like the latest cat video or it might go over like Crystal Pepsi.
A while back I posted a silly meme showing a bunch of Spec Miatas flowing through Mid-Ohio’s Turn 7. One Miata stands out, though, because it’s catching air while cutting through the sand trap. The caption: “We all have that one friend…”
For some reason, that meme struck a chord. The last time I checked, the post went to some 2.6-plus million people.
So when I posted a link to the StoryCorps animated short about NASCAR legend Wendell Scott, I wondered how it would fly. Did our readers even remember him? The post kind of took off, and that made me happy.
Growing up, I followed enough NASCAR to have my favorites: 21, 71 and, of course, 43.
Plus one more: 34, Wendell Scott.
Scott’s NASCAR career ended long before my “Wide World of Sports”-watching days began, but I knew his story thanks to “Greased Lightning,” the 1977 Hollywood biography starring Richard Pryor. Fortunately, early in life my dad introduced me to the classics, including “The Blues Brothers,” “1941” and “Greased Lightning.”
The story of “Greased Lightning” was simple: Scott wanted to go racing, and as an African-American living in a segregated Virginia, the deck was stacked mightily against him. Despite little to no financial backing, the former moonshine runner eventually made it to NASCAR’s top level, the Grand National division.
He scored a win there, too, finishing first at a 1963 race in Jacksonville, Florida. The next day’s newspapers probably missed the win, though, due to a supposed scoring error. The Wendell Scott Foundation’s website explains:
“Scott started in 15th position and easily lapped all the other racers. He was coming up on his 200th lap, the final lap, and expected to see the checkered flag waving for his first-place finish. The flag remained unmoved. Scott continued on for two more laps expecting the checkered flag to signal the end of the race and his victory. Instead, the flag waved for Buck Baker, who was two laps behind Scott. The judges awarded Scott third place.”
Later on, after the crowds left, Scott did get the credit and prize money for the win, but not the actual trophy.
Ten years later, a wreck at Talladega ended his driving career. On December 23, 1990, Scott lost his battle with spinal cancer.
His legacy didn’t die, fortunately. The Jacksonville, Florida, hall of fame inducted him in 1994. The International Motorsports Hall of Fame followed suit in 1999. In 2015, 25 years after his passing, Wendell Scott was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
Mojo Nixon may be known for writing some silly (and occasionally crude) songs, but he gets serious and downright respectful with his 1986 release “The Ballad of Wendell Scott”:
But because he was black they said, “Wendell, get back!
Boy, you shouldn’t even try!”
They were mighty surprised when they seen with their eyes,
Wendell was passing ‘em by.
Our readers remember him, too, as the Facebook reaction to the StoryCorps short was huge–at least by our usual standards. The reactions fell into one of three camps:
Phil Osborne, one of our Facebook fans, summed up what many of us thought: “Sad he was denied a true racing career due to skin color...check that...pathetic he was denied due to skin color....even more pathetic that my generation aided in the denial…”
For me, personally, I don’t care what color you are. Or what gender you ID as. Or what God you pray to. Or whatever characteristic some people use to divide us. We’re all stuck on this rock together. If you’re into cars and you treat others fairly, then you can join Wendell Scott in my club.
And he won in Jacksonville. At one point it was discussed painting our Challenge car in his livery.
This guy ran a NASCAR Grand National Team on a low budget with very few sponsors in a small garage. He should be the Patron Saint of the Challenge.
For me the thing I most remember is Ned Jarret saying the guy could hang the back of the car out further than any other drive Jarret had ever seen.....................mad skills and huge respect.
Snowdoggie said:This guy ran a NASCAR Grand National Team on a low budget with very few sponsors in a small garage. He should be the Patron Saint of the Challenge.
You know, you raise a strong point.
For a more complete story on Wendell Scott, read "Hard Driving : The Wendell Scott Story - The American Odyssey of Nascar's First Black Driver", written by Brian Donovan, himself a seasoned race car driver (SCCA) and twice awarded the Pulitzer prize for his newspaper reporting at Newsday in NY. And coincidentally my son-in-law's dad. Brian passed away a few years ago but his book stands the testament of time.
I have an email old Car and Driver that wrote him up - great story.
In reply to Richard Richer :
I have a copy of that book. It's an amazing, albeit sad story.
In reply to Richard Richer :
That was a fantastic book. I read the entire thing in two days.
My late friends dad worked for various NASCAR cup teams in the 60s and 70s before becoming a east coast two cycle kart legend. He said that Wendel would pull in for pit work and while his kids was working on the car, he would go to the concession stand to get a hot dog before reentering the race!
I'm sorry, I thought you said Randolph Scott......
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