Posted on 06/17/2003 12:21:10 PM PDT by Drew68
By Joe Rexrode
Lansing State Journal
BROOKLYN - In five years, Dora Taylor changed Denny's from what she called "a poster child for racial discrimination" into a company celebrated for its minority-friendly ways.
Now, as head of NASCAR's diversity program, Taylor is trying, one Confederate-flag-draped camper at a time, to do the same for the second-most-watched sport in the United States.
"It's not easy - diversity doesn't happen by itself, because people tend to gravitate toward people that are like them," Taylor said. "I wasn't surprised when I came to this company that it wasn't diverse. But the good news is, everybody wants it."
The field at today's Sirius 400 at Michigan International Speedway will consist strictly of white men, as usual. The crowd of 100,000-plus will be mostly white as well, reflecting every NASCAR gathering since the sport's Southern birth in 1948.
But the infusion of color that Taylor craves is slowly taking place. Sam Belnavis, a black businessman from Charlotte, N.C., will be there today. He is the majority owner of BelCar Racing, which has Todd Bodine's No. 54 Ford in today's field.
Bill Lester, also black, is NASCAR's lone full-time racer, on the truck series. He has Winston Cup aspirations for next season.
The fan base is changing drastically. According to an ESPN poll, Hispanics and blacks made up 17.5 percent of the sport's fan base in 2002 - up a combined 52 percent since 1999.
And then there's Taylor. Since arriving in January of 2002, she has implemented a series of programs to stir minority interest in auto racing, and add people of color to NASCAR's ranks - as mechanics, marketers, executives and track employees.
"It's quite a challenge because the industry is so fragmented - it's not one-stop shopping," she said.
"This is something that definitely should be pursued," said James Gill Jr., president of the Lansing chapter of the NAACP. "I've been to MIS on a couple occasions and very rarely do you see black people down there. We just want it all to be inclusive."
NASCAR had more than $2 billion in revenue in 2002, and it has a $2.6 billion television deal - only pro football has more viewers among U.S. pro sports. Recent prosperity has been linked to new tracks in cities such as Las Vegas and Miami, where new, more diverse crowds are flocking to races. NASCAR announced Friday a decision to pull a race from Rockingham, N.C., next season and add a second race to California Speedway.
"It's changing, no doubt," veteran driver Ricky Rudd said. "I'm all for expanding our sport. The problem is, how do you introduce the sport to people who don't grow up with it?"
Among NASCAR's strategies to do just that:
''It's important for NASCAR to display a welcome mat to minorities at large," Belnavis said. "Until that is perceived to be valid, we'll always be climbing uphill.
"The programs are in the embryonic stage. Until the programs reach fruition, it could be construed that NASCAR isn't doing anything.''
There are perception issues. For one, NASCAR has come under criticism recently for affiliating itself with the Rev. Jesse Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, in part because of his anti-war stance - a stance many NASCAR fans don't share.
For another, NASCAR is still perceived by many as white and Southern, which for some naturally translates into racist.
"The perception is there," said Charles Farrell, director of Jackson's Rainbow Sports. "I've been to tracks and I'm looking over my shoulder seeing the Confederate flag. There's a good-old-boys connotation."
And there are those who combat it. Owner Joe Gibbs and former pro football star Reggie White recently announced a plan to put together a few minority late-models teams in 2004, grooming drivers and mechanics for a future in Winston Cup - a leap that is expensive and difficult for anyone to make.
Taylor came to a Denny's besieged by lawsuits charging racial discrimination. In 2000 and 2001, Fortune magazine ranked Denny's No. 1 in its listing of "America's 50 Best Companies for Minorities."
NASCAR wasn't facing the same sort of "PR nightmare" when she arrived, but Taylor admits her task will be difficult and lengthy.
"I'm figuring it out as I go along, pretty much," she said. "This is a long-term commitment, to see our sport represent America."
NASCAR's Southern heritage is, and always will be, a part of that vision. Much of the sport's challenge will be convincing other sects of the population to accept that without prejudice.
"Our face is changing, but we'll always have the traditional, Southern born-and-bred fan," said Lester, who will race at MIS in the truck series on July 26.
"He's the guy with the rebel flag. As long as he's not waving it in my face, I don't have a problem with it."
Contact Joe Rexrode at 377-1070 or jrexrode@lsj.com
Good point. This diversity CRAP makes me puke.
I'm tired of our society teaching whites to hate themselves and be ashamed of their culture.
Bill Lester, also black, is NASCAR's lone full-time racer
Unfortunately, he keeps getting pulled over during the race.
"It's changing, no doubt," veteran driver Ricky Rudd said. "I'm all for expanding our sport. The problem is, how do you introduce the sport to people who don't grow up with it?"
And some people will never understand this. This isn't basketball, or football or baseball. Its not cooking. Its not music. A person pretty much has to be "born into" the culture of racing. You have to be interested from an early age and start getting involved in the classifications according to your age. Someone who has not been involved, or barely interested, for the first 16, 18 or 20 years of their life probably could never develop the skills necessary to be involved in professional racing. Simply "liking cars" wont cut it.
Its very rare that it isn't a "family thing". You can't just turn 18, and go to "racing school" like a college or trade school. There has to be some knowledge and skills picked up over the years as one matures. And there are definitely black families where the tradition of cars, mechanics and racing is handed down. It just so happens that given that they are approximately 11% of the population, unless you are involved, you rarely hear about them.
Simply, you will never get the "hip hop" generation into NASCAR. That has a culture of its own, and its not compatable with NASCAR.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.