SEPTEMBER 18, 2013 Posted by FRANK SANTOROSKI in ARTICLES, FRANK SANTOROSKI It was 1986. I was a Freshman at Averett College in Danville, Virginia. As an assignment for journalism class, we had to get out into the community and do a local story. As a kid, I loved the movie ‘Greased Lightning.’ The movie was loosely based on the story of Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to compete in NASCAR. I knew from the film that he was from Danville. I wondered if he still lived there, and if we could meet him. With some research, and a couple of phone calls, I was able to get in touch with the Scott family. Wendell Scott, 65 years of age at the time, still owned and managed an auto repair shop in town. Everything I knew about Wendell Scott came from that film. There wasn’t as much written about Scott as there is now. The film had come out nearly ten years prior, and Scott was largely forgotten at this time. I wanted to know the real Wendell Scott. My classmate, Darren and I headed across town to meet with him. I remember that his home was modest, but clean and well-kept. I remember his wife, Mary, being a gracious host and giving us some fresh lemonade. I remember his makeshift office in the garage, where he had four or five three ring binders full of newspaper clippings, photographs, and other mementos of his racing career. I remember looking at one of his old race cars out back. I believe it was a Mercury, painted blue with the number 34 in gold. The car was devoid of sponsor logos except for some Goodyear stickers on the wheel wells, and some smaller stickers on the quarter panels. It was customary in the early days of racing to credit the mechanic or engine builder on the car. On the front corner-panel of Wendell’s car it read ‘MECHANIC: ME!” A career in NASCAR had not made Scott a wealthy man. He was, however, proud of that fact that he was able to put his children through college, a luxury that he hadn’t enjoyed. Some of our questions were answered by Wendell Scott Jr., who accompanied his dad to all the races, and served as a member of his pit crew. What I remember the most is how awe-struck I was every time Wendell Sr. spoke. The two Wendells, Jr. and Sr., were able to recount for us one of the most incredible careers in racing. Scott had served our great country in WWII in Europe. When he arrived home, he used his small military pension to open up a garage. His father had been a mechanic and taught Wendell how to work on cars. A textile mill was the largest employer in Danville at the time, and may have afforded the young Scott a decent living. Wendell rejected the idea of working at the mill, because he had wanted to be his own boss. He took to driving a taxi cab on the side to make ends meet. He also accepted some under-the-table money as a runner for moonshiners. His knowledge of auto mechanics and his skill behind the wheel became legendary, and he was only caught by police once. On Saturday afternoons, Wendell would often go to watch the stock car races at the Danville Fairgrounds Raceway. He had a dream of becoming a race car driver one day. At the same time, the raceway owners were looking for ways to fill the stands. Someone came up with the idea of putting a black driver in a car as a gimmick. This was Wendell’s ticket in. Scott finished third and earned fifty dollars in his racing debut in 1947. It was a mere two weeks into Scott’s racing career when he took his first win on the Dixie circuit in Lynchburgh, VA. He worked on his car himself. His equipment was put together largely of items from the junkyard, and parts discarded from other drivers on the circuit. Despite the prejudice he experienced, there was no denying his talent. He went on to win numerous races, mostly on Virginia local tracks. He gained fans on the Dixie circuit, and also the reluctant respect of some of his white competitors. A few of them even acted as bodyguards for him, as many were still not open to the idea of a black man competing on the circuit. What Wendell really wanted to do was break into NASCAR. Beginning in 1950, he would tow his race car to NASCAR-sanctioned races only to be turned away, being told that NASCAR doesn’t allow colored drivers. “We left that track with tears in our eyes the first time, ” recounted Wendell Jr. “But that wasn’t going to stop Daddy, he kept trying.” His persistence paid off in 1953 when he arrived at Richmond, Virginia. There was a lower-level NASCAR official who had the authority to grant licenses. “Are you sure you want to do this?” said the official. “Like nothing else.” replied Wendell, and the official signed off on the license. Scott competed in NASCAR’s Modified Series while continuing on the Dixie Circuit. He took the Dixie Circuit Virginia State Championship in 1959 with 22 wins that season. Wendell Scott While he had fans packing grandstands to see him race in Virginia, it was much tougher in NASCAR. Wendell Jr. told me that at one particular event, the promoter handed out the fifteen dollar travel allowance to all of the drivers except Scott. Wendell went right to Bill France to protest. France pulled thirty dollars out of his own pocket, and promised that NASCAR would never discriminate against him now that he was a member. That turned out to be an empty promise as the Scott’s continued to have trouble with NASCAR officials and track promoters over the years. “We got to Bristol” said Wendell Jr. “And they told us we couldn’t pit crew for Daddy unless we shaved our beards. Shave our beards? There wasn’t any rule like that!” Scott moved up to Grand National (now Sprint Cup) in 1961. Without the backing of a major manufacturer or a primary sponsor, Scott often ran two or three year old equipment and still remained competitive. Some of Scott’s biggest supporters were Ned Jarrett and Richard Petty. Jarrett once sold Scott a year-old race car, and only asked for a dollar in return. When I reflect on the fact that Scott had 147 top-ten finishes in his Grand National career, while working on his own car, and utilizing family and friends as crew, I am amazed at his talent behind the wheel. There is no doubt in my mind that, with better equipment or a larger budget, he would have routinely seen the winner’s circle and perhaps given guys like Richard Petty or David Pearson a run for their money when it came down to the championship. The highlight of Scott’s NASCAR career came on December 1, 1963 in Jacksonville, FL. On what should have been his proudest day, discrimination reared its ugly head. Scott had two full laps on the field as the race came to a close. “I finished lap 200, looking for the checkered, and, no flag,” said Scott. ” So I went around again, and again… no checkered flag. What is going on? So I did one more lap, and then they said Buck (Baker) was the winner.” After his protest, NASCAR officials told Scott several hours later that there was a scoring error. “I had two laps on the damn field!” recounted Scott. “They didn’t want me to kiss the race queen, Well, I wasn’t gonna do that anyway. I knew better than that. I’d have shook her hand. I really wanted to hear my name called out over the loudspeaker as the race winner. I didn’t get that, I never got that.” Despite this injustice, I sensed no bitterness in Scott’s voice, just regret. Scott was, however, given the desperately needed prize money late that evening. ” I needed $900 to payWendell Scott & Sons some bills, and the race paid $1000. I got another $150 for running Goodyear tires, but the funny thing is, they were re-caps. That’s all we could afford.” Scott told me that the most damning scene in the movie is when he is presented with the trophy for that win at a backyard barbecue a few days after the race. ” I never got that trophy, Buck kept it,” said Scott. “For years, every time I saw that guy, I’d wave at him and smile…He knew why” He showed us a misshapen wooden statue that paled in comparison to the gold and silver trophy cups from his wins on the Dixie Circuit. “That’s all they gave me,” Scott said. The Scott family was eventually presented with a real trophy in 2010, 47 years after the race, and 20 years after Wendell’s passing. Wendell Scott and family kept at it racing on the NASCAR Grand National Circuit. His best season was in 1966, when he finished sixth in points. This day and age, that would have put him into The Chase. We talked about the film, and the difference between reality and Hollywood sensationalism. Wendell was hired on as a consultant for the film, but was never paid any royalties after the release. Scott told me that Richard Pryor was honored and proud to have played this character for his importance in the civil rights movement. In 1973, Scott was involved in a horrific nineteen car accident at Talledega. He suffered multiple injuries, effectively ending his NASCAR career. The scene in the film where Scott makes a triumphant comeback to the Grand National Circuit never happened. That’s a Hollywood happy ending. Scott did continue to race on a limited basis on local tracks, but finally hung up the helmet for good in 1975. In the 27 years that have come and gone since they day I met Wendell Scott, there has been a renewed interest in his career, accomplishments, and his contributions to the sport. In 1986, with the help of Les Montgomery, the Wendell Scott Foundation was formed to reach out to youths living in under-served communities offering scholarship programs . Scott lost his battle with spinal cancer in 1990, but the Foundation remains alive and well, spurred on by Scott’s children and grandchildren. In 1997, the street he lived on in Danville was renamed ‘Wendell Scott Drive.’ Placards featuring his familiar Number 34 racecar are placed at the intersection with the words ‘NASCAR legend’. In 1999, Wendell Scott was inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame in Talledega, Alabama. In 2008, a comprehensive biography of Scott titled “Hard Driving: The American Odyssey of NASCAR’s First Black Driver,” by Brian Donovan was published. In 2011, ESPN debuted the award-winning documentary, ‘Wendell Scott: A Race Story.’ In 2012, Wendell Scott’s name appeared on the ballot for inclusion to the NASCAR Hall of Fame. In April of 2013, the State of Virginia unveiled a historical marker in Danville celebrating Scott’s accomplishments and letting visitors know just what he meant to the community. I hope that Scott’s name comes up again on the NASCAR Hall of Fame Ballot. For his hard work, perseverance in the face of hardship, and his sheer skill behind the wheel, he truly deserves this.
Posted on: Mon, 07 Oct 2013 08:27:33 +0000