Wendell Scott's Family to Be Given Trophy by NASCAR Honoring Historic 1963 Victory

NASCAR will honor Wendell Scott by presenting his family with a trophy for his historic victory at the Jacksonville 200 in 1963. 

Per the Associated Press (via ESPN.com), the presentation will take place prior to Saturday's race at Daytona International Speedway. 

Scott was the first—and to date, only—Black driver to win a race in NASCAR's top circuit. He started from the 15th position in a 22-man race on Dec. 1, 1963. 

Richard Petty, who led a race-high 103 laps, fell out of the top spot with 25 laps remaining. Scott moved into the lead and stayed there the rest of the way.

There was controversy after the race, as second-place finisher Buck Baker was initially declared the winner. Scott had a two-lap lead at the end of 200 laps, but the checkered flag didn't waive when he crossed the finish line. 

Scott was originally ruled the third-place finisher, but NASCAR officials later reversed the decision to credit him with the victory. 

In Oct. 2010, 47 years after the race, Scott's family was formally presented with a replica winner's trophy from the Jacksonville 200. 

"We can tell our father he got his trophy," Franklin Scott, Wendell's son, said on that night.

Over the course of his 13-year NASCAR career, Scott posted 147 top-10 finishes and won the pole position one time at the 1962 race at Savannah Speedway. 

Scott's racing career was cut short due to injuries sustained in a crash at Talladega Speedway in May 1973. He did appear in one more race five months later but officially retired from competition at the end of the season. 

The Virginia native was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. He died in 1990 at the age of 69 due to spinal cancer.