Diversity on track ?  Another Perspective

NASCAR, ISC seek to attract more minorities, women to sport

MELISSA SAMAROO
DAYTONA BEACH -- It's that time of year again.

Men and women fill area stores, buying clothes, jewelry and even lingerie, hoping to show their favorite person just how much they love them.

No, not Valentine's Day gifts for their sweethearts -- licensed products designed to show undying love for Jeff, Dale Jr., Tony and, for the first time, Juan Pablo.

As the NASCAR nation of 7.5 million race fans gears up for Speed Weeks 2007, International Speedway Corp. and NASCAR are hoping some new, more diverse spectators will join them. Last month, ISC announced the hiring of their first minority agency of record, a marketing firm called Images USA. The Atlanta-based agency has taken on the considerable task of marketing the company's racetrack events to women, blacks and Hispanics.

Todd Ervin, director of multicultural relations for ISC, said no plans have been made yet as to how Images will begin courting the multicultural customer. Representatives for Images USA did not return phone calls.

Besides the events of the National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, ISC also hosts open-wheel and sports car races as well as motorcycle races at its tracks. At the American Motorsports Association's events, minorities are represented by longtime motorcycle lover Michael Jordan. The former NBA superstar partnered with Suzuki in 2004 to form Michael Jordan Motorsports, his own racing team.

Meanwhile, NASCAR, its sister company, has been committed to bringing diversity to the sport for some time. A council that includes Earvin "Magic" Johnson as its chairman leads the Diversity Initiative. The council has instituted several programs aimed at diversifying the faces on the track, including the Drive for Diversity, a program that grooms young minority drivers. Though some graduates of the program now race in other NASCAR series, none have joined the Chase for the Nextel Cup, a fact critics say shows the sport is not really committed to diversity.

Malcolm Calhoun, vice president of Access Marketing and Communications, the company of record for the Drive For Diversity program, said the program is more concerned with driver safety than silencing critics.

"Everyone wants to make sure they're real careful and not just putting someone out there to appease the pressure," Calhoun said.

People often forget that stock car racing is a dangerous sport that requires years of training, he said.

"If we put someone out there, we want to give them the opportunity to succeed," he said. "That means being prepared, ready and capable."

Calhoun said rumors that Drive for Diversity graduate Marc Davis will start in the Nextel Cup series next year are not that far-fetched.

"I would not be surprised," Calhoun said. "I think he's going to have a first-class career."

But Bill Lester, the only black driver currently competing full-time in a NASCAR circuit, said he's not quite so sure.

"I doubt that very seriously," Lester said in a phone interview. "I think that's fairly far-fetched."

Lester, who drives in the Craftsman Truck Series, is doubtful not only because of Davis' lack of experience, but because of the lack of funding available to minority drivers.

"It's the aspect of opportunity. There's not a lot of opportunity, and it costs so much money to get started," he said. "There are a lot of minority drivers that want to race on Sundays. It's a matter of corporate America providing the necessary funding."

Corporate America may not pay attention to minority drivers, but the fans do, Lester said.

"There's definitely minority interest. People are always asking me 'when am I going to see you in a NASCAR (Nextel cup) race again?' "

Lester tells the fans they will see him race again as soon as a sponsor is willing to have him. This season, he plans to continue racing trucks and hopes to run a few Nextel Cup races.

Freelance photographer Padraic Major, who is black, has been shooting photos of Busch Series races for three years. Though he spends most of his time on race day focused on the action, Major said he has noticed changes in the crowd.

"I see more and more (minorities) every year," he said in a phone interview.

Major has worked at many tracks, including Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama and Bristol Motor Speedway in Tennessee, and said he has never had a problem. He encourages others to put their fears of being shunned aside.

"I would say its nothing to be worried about," Major said. "If they have the gumption to go out and try something new, jump in the water, I'd say the water's fine. I most definitely look forward to it every year."

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