Wendell Scott
Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was the first African-American driver and team owner to compete and win in all divisions of NASCAR at its highest level.
| Wendell Scott | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | Wendell Oliver Scott August 29, 1921 Danville, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||
| Died | December 23, 1990 (aged 69) Danville, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||
| Cause of death | Spinal cancer | ||||||
| Achievements | First African-American NASCAR driver First African-American winner in the NASCAR Grand National Series | ||||||
| Awards | International Motorsports Hall of Fame (1999) NASCAR Hall of Fame (2015) | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 495 races run over 13 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 6th (1966) | ||||||
| First race | 1961 Spartanburg 200 (Spartanburg) | ||||||
| Last race | 1973 National 500 (Charlotte) | ||||||
| First win | 1964 Jacksonville 200 (Jacksonville) | ||||||
| |||||||
| NASCAR Grand National East Series career | |||||||
| 17 races run over 2 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 7th (1972) | ||||||
| First race | 1972 Bold City 200 (Jacksonville) | ||||||
| Last race | 1973 Buddy Shuman 100 (Hickory) | ||||||
| |||||||
Scott began his racing career in local circuits in the late 1940s and obtained his NASCAR license in 1953, making him the first African-American ever to compete in NASCAR. He debuted in the Grand National Series (NASCAR highest level) on March 4, 1961, in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On December 1, 1963, he won a Grand National Series race at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first black driver and team owner to win at NASCAR's premier level. Scott's career was repeatedly affected by racial prejudice including being poisoned (Dover) and death threats (Spartanburg, Darlington, Talladega, Jacksonville, and Daytona). Despite these challenges he continued to compete and was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame & NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.