Wendell Scott
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| Born: | August 28, 1921 | |
| Birthplace: | Unknown | |
| Died: | December 23, 1990 (aged 69) | |
| Cause of Death: | Unknown | |
| Achievements: | — | |
| Awards: | inducted in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1999) | |
| NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Statistics | ||
| 495 races run over 13 years. | ||
| Best Cup Position: | 6th - 1964 (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. He is the first (and to date only) black driver to win a race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series.
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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 tracks 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 Sprint 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. In 1964, Scott finished 12th in points despite missing several races. Over the next five years, Scott consistently finished in the Top Ten in the point standings. He finished 11th in points in 1965, was a career-high 6th in 1966, 10th in 1967, and finished 9th in both 1968 and '69. His top year in winnings was 1969 when he won $47,451. [1]
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.
[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".
[edit] Trivia
- Scott was not announced as the winner of the Jacksonville race at the time it happened, presumably due to the racist culture of the time in the South. Buck Baker, the actual second-place driver, was declared the winner until NASCAR issued a correction a few days later.
- Only five other black drivers have started at least one race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series: Charlie Scott, George Wiltshire, Randy Bethea, Willy T. Ribbs. The most recent was Bill Lester, who made the field for races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Michigan International Speedway in 2006. Those drivers have combined to make only nine starts.
- Scott now has a street named after him in Danville, Virginia.
- While Scott was best known driving Fords, his only victory was in a Chevrolet Bel Air, purchased from Ned Jarrett. (This was mentioned by Mike Joy on a NASCAR on FOX telecast, and also mentioned by Chevrolet officials at Bristol Motor Speedway during the radio broadcast of the 2007 Food City 500.)
- Wendell Scott had children, one of whom never met him. Her name is Evangeline Sr. She found out what a success her father was, but never had a chance to meet him because he had already passed away.
