NASCAR: Wendell Scott Finally on the Verge of Well-Deserved Recognition

For years, NASCAR has attempted to increase driver diversity within the sport, establishing development programs with the intent of shedding the Southern white male-dominated image of the sport. But fans well-grounded in the sport's history know that at least one driver broke down racial barriers as far back as the 1950s. His name was Wendell Scott. And now, thanks to a nominating panel, Scott, who passed away in 1990, will be eligible for induction into NASCAR's Hall of Fame as early as next year.

The 1999 inductee of the International Motorsports Hall of Fame joins four others—Rusty Wallace, Raymond Fox, Ralph Seagraves, and Anne B. France—as nominees, but perhaps none ever had to overcome as much to get to where they were in the sport as Scott did.

The Danville, Virginia native first gained a taste for fast cars in the same way as many of the sport's early pioneers did: as a moonshine runner. After watching enough races in his hometown to catch the racing bug, Scott began his driving career in 1952, competing up to five times a week on local tracks. There, he earned the respect of many fans and competitors, not for trying to make a racial point, but because he was a pure racer at heart.

In 1953, he found a way to break into NASCAR, despite officials previously being denied a license due to his race. Scott petitioned a lower-level race official for a license, and he obliged. The next year, NASCAR founder Bill France Sr. met Scott and told him that no NASCAR official would ever treat him with prejudice.

Scott made his way up to what is now known as Sprint Cup in 1961, starting 23 of 52 races and finishing 32nd in points. Two years later, he scored his crowning achievement. On December 1, 1963, he won a race at the one-mile Speedway Park in Jacksonville, beating second-place Buck Baker (incorrectly declared the winner at first) by two laps. However, NASCAR did not award Scott the win until two years later, and he never saw the trophy.

In subsequent years, Scott posted consistently strong finishes in both races and the point standings. From 1964 to 1969, he never finished worse than 12th in points, finishing a personal best of sixth in 1966. He retired due to injuries from a Talladega crash in 1973, concluding his career with 20 top-fives, 147 top-10s, a single pole and the aforementioned victory.

He accomplished all of that despite an establishment that never really gave him a chance to succeed. Officials frequently harassed him over minutiae, and he was unable to secure many of the benefits that his white counterparts received from the sport. While NASCAR helped other top drivers find sponsorship, Scott made do with an amateur crew, old tires and second-tier equipment. But he never complained.

Much was made of Scott's omission from the first set of 25 nominees in 2009. With the troubles and disadvantages of his career in mind, perhaps it's fitting that Scott finally received the nomination a few years late. But that will be set aside—if only momentarily—if voters choose to send Scott to the Hall of Fame as a part of next year's class.