Wendell Scott
American racing driver (1921–1990) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Wendell Oliver Scott Sr. (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 | |||||||
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Born | Wendell Oliver Scott (1921-08-29)August 29, 1921 Danville, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||
Died | December 23, 1990(1990-12-23) (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) | ||||||
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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) | ||||||
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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.[1] He debuted in the Grand National Series (NASCAR highest level) on March 4, 1961, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.[2] 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.[3] Scott's career was repeatedly affected by racial prejudice including being poisoned (Dover) and death threats (Spartanburg, Darlington, Talladega, Jacksonville, and Daytona).[4] Despite these challenges he continued to compete and was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame & NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.[5][6]