Wendell Scott
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| Birthplace: | Danville, Virginia | |
| Born: | August 28, 1921 | |
| Died: | December 23, 1990 | |
| Cause of Death: | ||
| Awards: | inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1999) | |
| NASCAR Cup statistics | ||
| 495 races run over 13 years. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 6th - 1966 (Grand National) | |
| First Race: | 1961 Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds | |
| Last Race: | 1973 Charlotte Motor Speedway | |
| First Win: | 1964 Speedway Park (Jacksonville) | |
| Last Win: | 1964 Speedway Park (Jacksonville) | |
| Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
| 1 | 147 | 1 |
Wendell Oliver Scott (b August 28, 1921 - d December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver from Danville, Virginia. During most of his career he was the only African-American driver in NASCAR.
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[edit] Background
He initially worked as a taxi driver, and learned to be a mechanic in the Army during WW II. After returning home he worked as a mechanic and in the evenings sometimes delivered moonshine.
[edit] Early racing career
Scott began racing in 1947 on local track in hobby, amateur and sportsman classes. He met with gradually increasing success. In 1959 he won 22 races, the Richmond track championship, and the Virginia state sportsman title.
[edit] NASCAR career
In 1961 he moved up to the NASCAR Grand National (now Nextel Cup) division. In the 1963 season, he finished 15th in points, and on December 1, 1963 he won a race at Jacksonville, Florida on the one mile dirt track at Speedway Park -- the first and to date only top level NASCAR event won by an African-American. He continued to be a competitive driver despite his low-budget operation through the rest of the 1960s.
He was forced to retire due to injuries from a racing accident at Talladega, Alabama in 1973. He achieved one win and 147 top ten finishes in 495 career Grand National starts. Only 9 top-level races have been started by African-Americans other than Wendell.
[edit] Tributes
The film "Greased Lightning" starring Richard Pryor was loosely based on Wendell Scott's biography.
Mojo Nixon, a fellow Danville Virginia native, wrote a tribute song titled "The Ballad of Wendell Scott", which appears on Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper's 1987 album, "Frenzy".
