16244: NASCAR Drives Diversity In Reverse.

 

This is how NASCAR hopes to attract a more diverse audience? Really?

15737: Busch Drives Deceptive Divertsity.

 

Busch Light declares:

 

Getting more women drivers on the track starts with giving their careers the fuel it deserves. We’re proud to officially sponsor all women drivers in @NASCAR now and for years to come. Learn more about our commitment here: busch.com/accelerateher

 

Okay, but the oh-so-progressive platform comes in a distant second to Busch’s real racy spirit.

 

13090: BHM 2016—Wendell Scott.

Driven is an animated documentary on Wendell Scott, the first Black driver inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.

13085: NASCAR’s Slow Start.

MultiCultClassics wondered about NASCAR’s peculiar decision to award its advertising duties to Ogilvy, especially given the racing sport’s desire to lure a more diverse audience. After all, Ogilvy can’t even deal with diversity in its own offices. So it’s no surprise that the first NASCAR commercial from the White advertising agency presents a predominately Caucasian cast. Looks like OgilvyCulture wasn’t in the driver’s seat for this ride. Or maybe NASCAR’s goal to attract diverse fans really meant wooing White women. If that’s the case, the commercial is a rousing success.

11614: NASCAR Driving Forward.

Advertising Age reported NASCAR hired Kenny Mitchell as managing director-brand and consumer marketing. Imagine that. A sport which has openly struggled with diversity manages to find and recruit qualified minorities—while its advertising agency has been driving in circles for decades on diversity.

People on the Move: Nascar Taps Sports Veteran Kenny Mitchell

By Fallon Atta-Mensah

Kenny Mitchell has been named the managing director-brand and consumer marketing for Nascar. He will be responsible for developing and executing the annual Nascar marketing plan and overseeing the company’s media strategies and planning in close collaboration with other Nascar departments. Mr. Mitchell joins the team from the Drew Tour, a division of Alli and the NBC Sports Group, where he served as VP and general manager. He holds a bachelor's degree from Dartmouth College and a MBA from Dartmouth’s Tuck School of Business.

11048: Tia Norfleet Talking Fast…?

From Sporting News…

Racer Tia Norfleet accused of lying about NASCAR career

Nearly two years ago, Tia Norfleet told Sporting News that she was working toward becoming the first female African-American driver in NASCAR and hoping to pave the way for other African-American drivers to enter the sport.

Since then, she’s been promoting herself as an accomplished driver working her way through the NASCAR ranks and claims that she plans to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year.

But, according to a report in The New York Times, much of what Norfleet has been promoting is not true.

According to a March 6 story in The New York Times, Norfleet is not licensed to compete in NASCAR and has drawn the ire of NASCAR officials for the way she has been promoting herself.

“I am uncomfortable with Tia representing herself in the way that she has,” Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR’s vice president for public affairs and multicultural development, told The New York Times.

In May of 2011, Norfleet, the daughter of former NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet, told Sporting News that she planned to make her NASCAR debut later that year and hoped pave the way for other African-American women to race.

“That’s one of the things I want to change,” Norfleet said in an interview with SN’s David Steele. “We want to bring a different light to NASCAR. You ask the average person, black, what NASCAR is, and they say, ‘You drive around in a circle, and that’s it—so what?’

“Well,” she continued, “they don’t see anyone there they recognize, or that they can identify with.”

Norfleet has made similar comments and told a similar story in several media interviews over the past two years, including with such media outlets as ESPNw, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and Essence Magazine.

Now one website is calling her story a hoax and comparing her to Manti Te’o.

According to The New York Times, much of Norfleet’s story does not ring true.

According to The Times, a press release distributed by Platinum Sports Entertainment Group, which represents her, claims that Norfleet is “the first and only African-American female driver in NASCAR and ARCA.”

Norfleet’s website, TiaNorfleet34.com, also says that she planned to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year.

But according to The Times, Norfleet is not licensed to compete in NASCAR nor ARCA, another stock-car racing series, and the only NASCAR-sanctioned event she has competed in was in a low-level event last year at the Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., where she completed just one lap before parking her car.

The Times also reports that Norfleet, who is from Augusta, Ga., has a criminal record in Georgia and Virginia and was found guilty in 2005 and 2009 of assault and drug-related offenses.

“Ms. Norfleet is one of thousands of individuals who have purchased licenses in the Late Model Division of our sport,” Jadotte said in an e-mail. “I am uncomfortable with attempts Ms. Norfleet and her representatives have made to forgo the sport’s development process.”

NASCAR has run a Drive for Diversity program since 2004 designed to help develop minority drivers and has selected several African-American drivers to participate in the program. African-American driver Darrell Wallace Jr. came through the program and currently is racing full time in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.

NASCAR officials said Norfleet, whose father participated in the truck series in the early ‘90s, has been invited to apply for the program but she has never applied and therefore never received an invitation to participate in the program’s tryouts.

When asked by the Times about her career and claims about her racing background, Norfleet said, “I’ve been racing in non-sanctioned races before. I’ve been racing forever. For as long as I can remember. I race in non-sanctioned races.”

Norfleet responded to The Times report on her website by saying, “I'm not going to let a biased, smear campaign stop me. I've been dealing with this type of obstruction since I got my license back in 2010.”

10421: Tia Norfleet Driven To Win.

From ESPN…

Tia Norfleet took fast track to history

By Adena Andrews

Tia Norfleet has always been comfortable behind the wheel, even when she couldn’t see over it.

At the age of 4, Norfleet, the daughter of NASCAR pioneer Bobby Norfleet, hopped into her mother’s minivan. The keys were in the ignition, so Tia decided to go for a joy ride. She hit the gas—and the front porch.

A race car driver was born.

Tia Norfleet, the daughter of NASCAR pioneer Bobby Norfleet, races for her father’s team and debuted in NASCAR on Aug. 4 at the CMC Supply Twin 100s, finishing 23rd.

“Tia lived to drive,” her father said. “When she was about 9, if she did well in her karate class, I’d let her drive home.”

Bobby nurtured his daughter’s talents, and she took advantage. On Aug. 4, Tia, 24, became the first African-American woman to race in NASCAR. She placed 23rd out of 25 competitors at the CMC Supply Twin 100s at Motor Mile Speedway in Fairlawn, Va.

Turns out, the little girl who drove a souped-up Hot Wheels convertible hot rod until the wheels fell off is now pushing speeds of up to 200 mph in NASCAR’s late-model K&N Pro Series.

At 14, Norfleet started in go-kart racing. She graduated to drag racing, where she won 37 of 52 events. In 2004, she began driving stock cars, driving for her father’s team, Bobby Norfleet Racing.

“It’s crazy that blacks are still achieving firsts in sport,” Tia said, “but at the same time, it’s amazing to see we are evolving as a people. We can do the things we always wanted to do because our ancestors have paid the price for us to be where we are.”

In 2004, NASCAR started its Drive for Diversity program to give minority and female drivers the opportunity to compete. NASCAR wants minorities and women to have other opportunities in the motorsports industry as well. The goal is to nurture diverse talent—and broaden the sport’s audience.

NASCAR’s history has been peppered with specks of color, groundbreakers such as Wendell Scott, the first African-American NASCAR driver; Bill Lester, the first African-American driver in a Busch Series race; and Willy T. Ribbs, the first African-American Formula One driver. And Bobby Norfleet.

The Norfleets acknowledge they would like NASCAR to become more diverse but say the sport has been welcoming to them.

“I’ve had so many positive people supporting me, and not just black people,” Tia said. “Of course, there are the negative people that say certain things behind a computer, but I don’t pay attention to those things. They talked about Jesus, so I know they will talk about me.”

Her father added, “Drivers and owners know me and my history with the sport, so they make an effort to make our team and Tia feel welcomed. It’s like a family.”

Breaking new ground doesn’t weigh on Tia because, having grown up with a mother who is a minister, she has learned to use her faith whenever things seem daunting.

“I take the responsibility of being a role model and do the best that I can with it,” she said. “I focus on what I have to do, and I always say, ‘Lord, let your will be done and use me in the way you see fit.’”

The toughest part of her journey has been less about color and more about money. Racing is an expensive sport. With few sponsors, the Norfleets have relied on family, friends and neighbors—in addition to selling their home—to fund Tia’s career.

“We were robbing Peter to pay Paul then turned around and took Paul’s money to pay for Tia to race,” Bobby said.

Some sponsors considered Tia, but the Norfleets recognized that not all money was good money.

“We’ve turned down lots of sponsorships because we don’t do alcohol and tobacco,” she said.

Luckily for the Norfleets, Tia’s skills have drastically improved since her wreck as a toddler. She is sponsored by Verizon and is in talks with other companies to fund her drive into history.

“I told her from the beginning that being a driver was not going to be easy, but we are opening doors for the future,” Bobby said. “Hopefully, Tia’s journey will make it easier for the person that comes behind her.”

10329: NASCAR Seeks Diversity Help Via Ogilvy…?!

Advertising Age reported NASCAR named Ogilvy as its new AOR, and the responsibilities will include helping the sport lure younger and more diverse fans. Wowee, sounds like the perfect opportunity for OgilvyCulture to practice its cross-cultural magic. Let’s just hope the NASCAR clients seeking to add diversity don’t look at the HR records of their new AOR, as Ogilvy North American Chairman John Seifert conceded the industry is “not exactly leading the way” in creating inclusive environments—and even admitted OgilvyCulture was a messy work-in-progress. So for NASCAR, it’s the colorblind leading the colorblind. Gentlemen, start your engines.

Ogilvy Named Agency of Record For Nascar

WPP Shop Tapped As Racing Sport Aims to Draw Younger, More Diverse Fans

By Rupal Parekh

After a four-month-long pitch, Nascar has chosen Ogilvy as its agency of record. The WPP agency will be responsible for helping Nascar launch a new brand platform at the Daytona 500’s 55th anniversary race in February 2013.

As Ad Age reported in March, Nascar began a review for a full-service ad firm to help it grow its young and multicultural audiences. Ogilvy will help execute a five-year plan by NASCAR that aims to reinvigorate existing fans and create new ones. It will also be tasked with media strategy, promotions and digital support.

In a sign of how hungry agencies continue to be for new business, Nascar was inundated with 110 inquiries to pitch its business from agencies of all different sizes and disciplines upon news of its agency review.

That list was eventually whittled down to ten finalists, and in late June Nascar visited three finalist shops—in addition to Ogilvy, Interpublic Group of Cos.’ McCann-Erickson and Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett were in the running—which presented to a group of senior execs, including Nascar Chairman-CEO Brian France.

Ogilvy’s presentations edged out the competition. “We were thoroughly impressed with the caliber of all three finalists; but Ogilvy’s consistency, creativity and dynamic leadership were the key differentiators,” said Kim Brink, Nascar managing director of brand, consumer and series marketing, said in a statement. “We’re delighted to join the agency’s roster of big consumer brands.”

Ms. Brink, who earlier in her career spent time at Cadillac, is understood to have initiated the review after arriving at Nascar last fall. Back in March, she told Ad Age that Nascar’s ad budget going forward would be “way north” of its measured media spending of around $25 million last year.

Said John Seifert, chairman-CEO of Ogilvy & Mather North America, in a statement: “From the beginning of the agency review process, it was clear to us that Nascar was looking for a true business partner. We firmly believe that Nascar is a valuable tool in the marketing mix and a place where big brands get high return on investment. We couldn’t be more proud to add the sport to our portfolio of global brands.”

Nascar races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages, and the group has offices in eight cities across North America.

10040: NASCAR Seeks White Shop For Diversity.

Earlier this month, Target Market News reported NASCAR is seeking an advertising agency to help it reach minority audiences. There is no plan, however, to engage minority shops for the push. In fact, a NASCAR marketing official stated, “In a perfect world, we’re looking for a full-service agency to do it all.” Newly-hired NASCAR Director of Brand and Consumer Marketing Kim Brink is a 20-year veteran of General Motors, another corporate entity that has made questionable decisions regarding the choice of White agencies to handle multicultural duties. In 2007, NASCAR CEO Brian France declared, “If we don’t get diversity right, this sport will not achieve what it needs to achieve from a popularity standpoint.” Maybe Drive For Diversity should be renamed Jive For Diversity.

NASCAR seeking more black fans again, but black ad agencies need not apply

NASCAR has announced it is again renewing its efforts in diversity, this time from getting more drivers of color to attracting more African-Americans and Hispanics to become fans of the sport. Part of that initiative will include hiring an advertising agency to develop a number of new marketing initiatives.

The agency search was announced by Kim Brink, director of brand and consumer marketing for NASCAR. Brink, who was hired less than six months ago, previously spent 20 years at General Motors where she oversaw marketing for the Chevrolet and Cadillac brands. She is looking for an agency that will use an integrated approach to reach out to various consumer segments.

According to staffers of the NASCAR marketing department, there are currently no plans to hire an African American or Hispanic agency to help the racing organization achieve its ethnic outreach or marketing goals. “In a perfect world,” said a member of the marketing department, “we’re looking for a full service agency to do it all.”

In past years, NASCAR has had aggressive initiatives to attract and support more black drivers to the sport. Those efforts ended with only marginal success.

After enjoying a boom in popularity in the early 2000’s, TV audiences and ratings for its races have declined in the past five years. In 2010, BET was carrying a reality show, “Changing Lanes,” that was backed by NASCAR that highlighted the competition between 10 minority drivers to become drivers in major races. None of the drivers was able to achieve lasting success.

NASCAR, which is a privately company and does not release data on its marketing spend, has used general market ad agency, JUMP Co. since 2005 to handle its advertising.

10029: Drive For Diversity Discriminates…?

From The Sporting News…

Driver sues NASCAR, claims he was excluded from diversity program for being ‘too Caucasian’

By Bob Packrass

CHARLOTTE—An aspiring stock-car driver is suing NASCAR, claiming he was denied the opportunity to compete in NASCAR’s diversity program because he looks “too Caucasian.”

NASCAR argues that in trying to change the “face” of the sport, it has the right to select drivers for its diversity program based on skin color, attorneys for the sanctioning body and its former diversity program administrators have told a U.S. District court.

Michael Rodriguez, a driver from Pennsylvania, says in his complaint filed in U.S. District Court that he was denied the opportunity to compete in the 2005 and 2006 Drive For Diversity combines.

Rodriguez is suing NASCAR and Access Communications, which operated NASCAR’s diversity program from its inception in 2004 until 2008 and conducted the combines that are designed for teams in NASCAR’s regional series to scout minority drivers.

NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program was created to develop minority drivers and crewmen and help them advance through the NASCAR ranks with the goal of reaching the sport’s top series. Since 2004, the program has included 41 drivers, with most being selected multiple times. There currently are six drivers in the program racing in various NASCAR regional series.

Rodriguez, now in his early 20s, is asking for undetermined damages for violation of his civil rights.

NASCAR and Access Communications are seeking to get the case, filed in January 2010, thrown out before it goes to trial. Attorneys for NASCAR and the company argued their side in a summary judgment hearing Wednesday in federal court in Charlotte.

The case has forced NASCAR and Access to work together even though NASCAR turned over its diversity program to former Dale Earnhardt Inc. executive Max Siegel in 2009 after Access failed to produce a significant number of minority drivers who advanced to the national NASCAR ranks.

Judge Max Cogburn did not issue a ruling immediately after Wednesday’s hearing and indicated that he was uncomfortable with the case.

“The core question for the court,” the judge told the attorneys, “is can you discriminate on color in an effort to diversify?”

Rodriguez was invited to compete in the 2005 combine at age 15 with a resume that included two state karting championships. He also was the youngest driver ever to win a Super Late Model event at Mountain Speedway, a one-third mile asphalt track in St. John’s, Pa.

He states in his complaint that he believes he was discriminated against because of his complexion. According to his claim, he is of Puerto Rican and Spanish descent and identifies himself as Puerto Rican. He states in his claim that he is blue-eyed and fair-skinned.

According to NASCAR’s brief in support of summary judgment, Rodriguez based his claim on two references by an Access employee that he looks like “the poster child” or “the poster boy” for the Ku Klux Klan.

Read the full story here.

9649: NASCAR’s Multicultural Slow Start.

Advertising Age interviewed NASCAR CMO Steve Phelps, and the discussion included the sport’s multicultural efforts. Phelps said NASCAR has done “small things,” yet he likely realizes there is a long road ahead for building minority appeal. Hopefully, the initiatives will include partnering with multicultural marketing experts. Plus, NASCAR should steer clear of White advertising agencies that have failed to even promote and foster diversity in their own offices.

Nascar Targets New Audiences, Revs Up Social-Media Strategy

Sport Endured Several Bumpy Years, but TV Ratings Are Recovering and Execs Have Charted a Five-Year Plan for Growth

By Jason Del Rey

After a few bumpy years marked by declining TV ratings and weakened traction in the vital 18- to 34-year-old male demographic, Nascar regained some footing in 2011. TV viewership rose year-over-year in all three Nascar series, both overall and among the target group of young men. And the sport landed several key sponsorship renewals, including Sprint, UPS and Kraft Foods.

But if Nascar is to continue its assault on the professional team sports occupying much of the nation’s bandwidth, it needs to reach new audiences in new places. With that in mind, it has embarked on a five-year plan with five key goals: Build the star power of individual drivers, increase engagement among children and college-age consumers, attract a multicultural fan base, craft more cohesive digital- and social-media strategies and improve the racetrack experience for fans.

Nascar CMO Steve Phelps is overseeing the execution. While some efforts kicked off in 2010, work over the next 18 months on the digital-media and multicultural-marketing fronts will be crucial. Mr. Phelps, star of a 2010 episode of “Undercover Boss,” sat down with Ad Age to discuss the process of individual brand-building, the promise of a Hispanic fan base, and why the sport’s legacy digital partnership won’t work long term.

Ad Age: How do you go about building the individual brands of drivers?

Mr. Phelps: One key is that we’re not just going to be focused on the stars of today but on those emerging stars even outside of the three national series. We’re going back to the local level and identifying young talent. We’ll start with kids that are 15 or 16 in developmental series. We’ll identify who has the best talent and who has real charisma.

Ad Age: How far along is the process?

Mr. Phelps: We’re in Round Two, where we are doing the profiles and brand mappings for 120 drivers. We hired two new people to take this on, and we’ll talk to the team, sponsors and drivers to determine the best approach to have each driver break through. Certain drivers are media-savvy and like the lens, so to speak. Others, candidly, don’t. So we won’t ask a guy who doesn’t want to be on TV to go on Fox to promote the Daytona 500. We may instead get him involved in a hunting and fishing blog, if that’s his passion.

Ad Age: How will your digital and social strategy shift going forward?

Mr. Phelps: We are hiring someone new, and a big part of the job will be training an entire industry—from driver reps to driver teams to our own internal teams—on social.

On the digital side, we’ve had a relationship with Turner since 2001, where they operate Nascar.com. That relationship has served our industry very well. That said, our agreement goes through 2014, and we will probably go in a different direction after that. Not because Turner has done anything wrong, but because in the future it will be important for us to control our own message and content. They have allowed us to take portions of their rights back. For example, all the Twitter feeds that we do come from our internal team and are not run by Turner people anymore.

Ad Age: How are you improving the event experience?

Mr. Phelps: We wanted to get a sense for how a Nascar race stacked up against other sports. So we [anonymously] sent families of four or four college buddies to a Nascar race, an NFL game, the circus or a concert. [A third party] asked what they liked about each one, which provided very rich data. What came out of it was, for a new fan, if they’re not with someone who has been to a race before, they don’t know how to be a fan. Where do I park? Where’s my seat? We had guys come in button-down shirts and khakis, not realizing this is a big party. We’ll use all of this to make changes.

Ad Age: How are you reaching a new, multicultural audience, specifically Hispanics?

Mr. Phelps: We’ve done some small things. At three of our race tracks we did heavy up-spending in those markets buying media. We had a virtual garage tour in Spanish. The Nascar website can be viewed in Spanish, as well, but that’s basically just a translation. Looking ahead, we’re in discussions with a Spanish-language outlet to create digital content for us, and we hope to have meaningful content live in 2013.

9525: Racing And Racism…?

First Lady Michelle Obama was booed at a NASCAR event on Sunday. No big surprise.

8984: NASCAR Driving Stereotypes.

From The Onion…

Mysterious Black Family Going From NASCAR Race To NASCAR Race

SPARTA, KY—Fans attending the Sprint Cup Series’ past four races have witnessed a strange phenomenon: a black family who drives a motor home onto the racetrack’s infield and watches every event of the weekend. “Frankly, they freak me out. They show up with the same radios we use to listen to drivers talk to their crews. They all wear T-shirts with drivers on them. They’re black. I’ve never seen anything like it,” race fan Darrel Swinea told reporters Saturday during the Quaker State 400. “I’d go ask what they’re up to, but, well, uh, you know.” Around lap 56 of the race, the father of the black family turned to the crowd staring at him and asked if anyone wanted some of the beer or venison sausage from his cooler, causing spooked fans to immediately run out of the grandstand and into the parking lot.

6837: Racy, Racing And Racism.

Sex and slurs in a MultiCultClassics Monologue…

• A Calvin Klein billboard is sparking controversy in New York’s SoHo area. The image appears to show a teenage girl in a threesome, and many think it’s going too far. “It shows a lack of respect for our society, especially for young people,” said the Rev. Don Wildmon. “It’s a sad thing in America when the only thing they want is money and they’ll keep using sex to get it.” No comments yet from Sarah Palin and David Letterman.

• Bryan Berry, the crew chief of NASCAR driver Brendan Gaughan, was indefinitely suspended for using racial slurs against Black driver Marc Davis. The comments took place after a collision involving Gaughan and Davis, and BlackVoices.com indicated Gaughan was suspended too. NASCAR constantly fights the perception that it’s a racist sport with a predominately White audience. It would be ironic, although not surprising, if NASCAR sought image advice from Madison Avenue.

6675: Profiling Black Drivers. In NASCAR.

From The New York Daily News…

NASCAR teams up with BET for new ‘Changing Lanes’ show

By Richard Huff, Daily News TV Editor

Black Entertainment Television, a network keyed to African-Americans, will air a show next season with NASCAR, a sport that has tried for years to improve diversity within its ranks.

“Changing Lanes,” a docu-reality series expected to launch in 2010, will spotlight drivers in NASCAR’s “Drive for Diversity” program.

“I wanted to see more opportunities created in NASCAR for people of color, especially on the competition side,” said Max Siegel, a former record executive turned stock car insider.

Siegel, who had been president of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., took the idea to Jay Abraham, who runs NASCAR Media, the sport’s production arm, and together they shopped it to networks. BET will announce the show today as part of its new programming presentation.

“We’re going immediately into creative meetings,” Siegel said. “We’ll come up with a pretty quick production schedule.”

BET has bought 10 episodes of the hour-long show.

NASCAR has a number of on-and-off-track diversity programs, including the “Drive for Diversity,” which backs female and minority drivers in feeder series for the sport’s top level. Some of those drivers will participate in the reality show, said Siegel.

“Every week, there’s a lot of competition, on-track performance, a lot of back story, and getting to know the participants,” Siegel said. “We want the audience to get to know what it takes to participate at this level.”

“Changing Lanes” is far from the first reality series to delve into the sport, however.

FX aired “NASCAR Drivers 360,” a show that followed drivers on and off the track. ABC tried a celebrity series pairing stars with drivers in a race competition. And TLC aired “NASCAR Wives.”

None, however, has focused exclusively on drivers who are women or of color.

“We want to tell a true story that is racing authentic,” he said.

Few of these sports-related reality shows have become mainstream hits, however.

“For people who don’t know racing,” Siegel said, “it has drama built into it. There’s a lot of speed. There’s a lot of complexity in racing. Those are the key touch points to make an entertainment product successful.”

Does that mean villains and heroes? Well, not exactly.

“I don’t know that you necessarily need any villains,” he said. “What people need are good story lines. Look at [”Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”]. We want to do things that, obviously, cast NASCAR in the exciting and fun light that it is. We won’t script it in a way where we’re creating villains and rivalries.”

Siegel said NASCAR officials have gone a long way in diversifying the sport, noting that there’s been an impact off the track, but he acknowledged that until there’s a top female driver or one of color, NASCAR will continue to be criticized.

“I do think fans will catch on when we do have a star that people can connect with,” Siegel said, hoping to have a hand in that with “Changing Lanes.” “It will have an impact.”

6611: Gentlemen, Start Your Search Engines…

From USA TODAY…

Magazine’s Obama-NASCAR hoax creates April Fool’s stir

By Larry Marshak, USA TODAY

A Car and Driver April Fool’s hoax on the Web, reporting President Obama had ordered Chevrolet and Dodge out of NASCAR after the 2009 season, turned into a sizzling Internet topic Wednesday.

“Just when we thought we could take a breather from Barack Obama’s wacky policies, he reached across the Atlantic today to drop another one on us,” wrote Sandra Rose at Rightfielders.com. “Naturally, NASCAR fans are outraged.”

Car and Driver later pulled the fake story (which estimated savings of $250 million between the manufacturers) and apologized for “going too far” while noting the magazine “has a proud tradition of irreverent editorial and we amplify that each year with our April Fool’s Day joke.”

The mea culpa wasn’t enough for Denny Darnell, who does public relations for Dodge’s motor sports program. He wrote in an e-mail that “I’ve been in this business more than 30 years and I have never seen a story so irresponsible.”

5572: NASCAR Races And Racism.

From The Associated Press…

NASCAR Hit With Racism, Sexism Claims

By JENNA FRYER, AP

As an aspiring racing official, Mauricia Grant had grown used to working in a man’s world.

When she finally made it into NASCAR, Grant was appalled at the way she says she was treated beginning from her first day on the job until her firing last October.

Now she’s suing NASCAR for $225 million, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

“I loved it. It was a great, exciting, adrenaline-filled job where I worked with fast cars and the best drivers in the world,” Grant told The Associated Press. “But there was an ongoing daily pattern (of harassment). It was the nature of the people I worked with, the people who ran it, it trickled down from the top.

“It’s just the way things are in the garage.”

The 32-year-old Grant, who is black, worked as a technical inspector responsible for certifying cars in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series from January 2005 until her termination. In the lawsuit, she alleged she was referred to as “Nappy Headed Mo” and “Queen Sheba,” by co-workers, was often told she worked on “colored people time,” and was frightened by one official who routinely made references to the Ku Klux Klan.

In addition, Grant said she was subjected to sexual advances from male co-workers, two of whom allegedly exposed themselves to her, and graphic and lewd jokes.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, lists 23 specific incidents of alleged sexual harassment and 34 specific incidents of alleged racial and gender discrimination beginning when she was hired in January 2005 through her October 2007 firing.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the organization had not yet reviewed the suit.

“As an equal opportunity employer, NASCAR is fully committed to the spirit and letter of affirmative action law,” Poston said, adding NASCAR has a zero tolerance policy for harassment.

In the lawsuit, Grant said she complained numerous times to her supervisors about how she was treated, to no avail. On one occasion, Grant said Nationwide Series director Joe Balash, her immediate supervisor, was dismissive of her complaints, explaining her co-workers were “former military guys” with a rough sense of humor. “You just have to deal with it,” she says Balash told her.

On another occasion, she alleged Balash participated in the harassment.

“Does your workout include an urban obstacle course with a flat-screen TV on your back?” she claimed Balash asked her during the week of July 28, 2007 while working in Indianapolis.

Grant told the AP her two younger sisters witnessed racial discrimination against the official while visiting her at Daytona International Speedway in 2006 and encouraged her to document every incident going forward.

The lawsuit details a series of those alleged incidents:

Grant was forced to work outside more often than the white male officials because her supervisors believed she couldn’t sunburn because she was black.

While riding in the backseat of her car pool at Talladega Superspeedway, co-workers told her to duck as they passed race fans. “I don’t want to start a riot when these fans see a black woman in my car,” she claims one official said.

When packing up a dark garage at Texas Motor Speedway an official told Grant: “Keep smiling and pop your eyes out ‘cause we can’t see you.”

When she ignored advances from co-workers, Grant was accused of being gay. She also claimed co-workers questioned the sexual orientation of two other female officials.

After her termination, Grant said she went over her notes and recognized “a pattern of retaliation and discrimination.”

“It didn’t diminish my love for the sport of auto racing, but the job wasn’t always the easiest thing to go to every day,” she said.

Grant said she routinely complained to her supervisors. Two weeks after her final complaint, Grant said she was warned during the week of August 18, 2007 at Michigan International Speedway that she had engaged in “conduct unbecoming of a NASCAR representative” and would be fired unless she changed her behavior. She said the warning stemmed from a confrontation with a track official who stopped her as she passed through a gate to use the restroom.

Roughly two months later, Grant was fired, and NASCAR cited a poor work performance in ending her employment. The lawsuit claims other than a previous warning for using “street” language, Grant had never been disciplined for job performance and routinely received positive reviews.

“It is time for NASCAR to realize that not everybody is going to be bought off and not file a complaint,” said Grant’s attorney, Benedict P. Morelli of Morelli Ratner PC. “Not everybody is going to be intimidated and not file a complaint. Not everybody is going to be blackballed and not file a complaint.”

In addition, the suit claims official Heather Gambino was fired in 2006 for complaining about a sexually hostile work environment. The suit also claims former official Dean Duckett, who is black, was reprimanded and ultimately fired last November for using “aggressive language toward a white co-worker.”

Among those identified in Grant’s suit are Balash, assistant series director Mike Dolan, supervisors Alan Shephard and Dennis Dillon, NASCAR’s senior manager for business relations, the human resources director and 17 of Grant's fellow officials. All of the defendants are white.

“My supervisors all praised me. I was hanging in there with the guys,” she said. “I am an athletic person. I went over the wall and faced malicious crews and competitive crew chiefs, and I was right there and held it down and was never lazy about it.

“And I knew that once I was terminated, there wasn’t going to be an opportunity for me to find another industry like NASCAR to practice my craft.”

5038: NASCAR and Race.

Make The Logo Bigger pointed out this latest story on NASCAR and its diversity issues. One thing to consider is the stereotyping associated with NASCAR fans; that is, there’s a perception that they are all a bunch of redneck yahoos. The fan base actually features a broad range of Whites, and most of them are upper- and middle-class suburban families. Not sure, however, if NASCAR has ever probed to see what percentage of its “diverse” White audience could be categorized as biased and racist.

Nascar’s Race Problem

by Melba Newsome

With growth stalled, a multibillion-dollar sports business looks to diversity for a jump start. But some Fortune 500 would-be sponsors fear that supporting minority drivers could set off a rebel yell.

Marc Davis was doing what Nascar drivers do all the time—getting even.

With 10 laps to go in a tight 200-lap race at Hickory Motor Speedway, Davis, then 16 years old, was fighting hard for the win when a rival tapped his rear bumper and sped around him as he tried to recover. On the next lap, Davis repaid the favor by thumping his competitor and causing him to spin out. Both ended up at the back of the pack. For the drivers, this was no big deal. Retaliation is part of the sideshow that gives Nascar its edge. But this episode had an extra element: Davis is black, and his rival, also a teenager, was white.

And Hickory, 50 miles northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, is Nascar bedrock, America’s oldest continuously operating motor speedway and the hallowed minor-league track where such legends as Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty cut their teeth. It attracts a hardcore following, an overwhelmingly white crowd that was perfectly happy when Nascar was just a backwater redneck sport. So though Davis had already proved his Nascar mettle by winning six races at Hickory that year, his tangling with a white driver caused an uproar among about a hundred fans, who stormed a fence surrounding the track, some of them chanting, “Go home, nigger!” Several were ejected from the stands.

As for Davis? He walked away like a driver from a bad crash, determined not to let the episode dampen his ambition to become one of the best drivers in the history of America’s second-most-watched sport. He had already inked a six-year deal with Joe Gibbs Racing, the powerhouse established by the famed Redskins head coach and run by his son J.D., and home to Nextel Cup Series contenders Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. By the 2007 season, Davis had graduated from the Hickory farm club to the Busch East Series, an East Coast racing circuit known for developing young racers, and finished in the top 10 among more than 70 drivers. When he turns 18 this June, Davis, a daredevil since his elementary-school years, is expected to climb yet one more Nascar rung, bringing him closer to his goal of racing against the likes of Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson. Of the racial incident, Davis’ father and manager, Harry, says, “It is what it is, but I will not allow it to be a roadblock. Our only purpose is to race.”

[Read the full story here.]

Essay 4712

From The Miami Herald…

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NASCAR heavily marketing Montoya

BY SARAH ROTHSCHILD

NASCAR racing -- iconic sport of the American South -- marketing itself in Spanish? You can thank rookie star Juan Pablo Montoya, the first Hispanic driver to win a race in NASCA’'s top series, the Nextel Cup.

The Colombia native and now-Miami resident, one of 43 drivers competing in Sunday’s sold-out Ford 400 NASCAR finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, has become an instant attraction, expanding NASCAR's fan base and international appeal.

Ford championship weekend cards bearing Montoya’s picture urge fans to “Celebra Con Montoya, El Campeón de Tu Casa” (celebrate with Montoya, the champion of your house).

Montoya’s team, Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates, is the only NASCAR outfit with race-report websites in both English (chipganassiracing.com) and Spanish (espanol.chipganassiracing.com).

“I think it shows it doesn’t matter where you’re from, you can do it,” Montoya said in an interview.

“I think he is in the process of doing what Tiger Woods did for golf,” said Jim Hunter, NASCAR vice president of corporate communications.

“People will watch because of Juan Pablo, just like today they watch because of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart,” said Hunter, NASCAR’s resident historian. “I see Montoya joining that group.”

In less than a year of racing, he has become an international star in a sport that has struggled to find popularity outside the United States. Forty percent of the traffic to his website is from overseas, including countries as farflung as England, Hungary, Russia, Singapore and Venezuela, said John Olguin, Ganassi vice president of communications.

“I don’t pay too much attention to [my popularity],” Montoya, 32, said Thursday. “I was at the Wrigley’s Convenience Store convention in Atlanta, and there were people from South Africa who said they were huge fans and apparently I have a huge following there. It’s unreal.”

Montoya has come a long way from the kid who started Kart racing at age 6 in Colombia.

INDY 500 WIN

In 1999, Montoya headed to the United States and the CART series. In his rookie season at age 24, already speeding toward success and fame, he posted a record seven wins. He would go on to win the Indianapolis 500 in 2000 and later win seven Formula One races. His star has brightened on the NASCAR circuit.

His fame was on display Thursday night as Montoya, wife Connie and five Colombian nonprofits hosted a gala dinner at Karu & Y in Miami for their charity, Formula Smiles, to raise money for needy Colombian communities.

“It’s been amazing to get such a great response from the NASCAR and the Latin community,” Montoya said as the red carpet portion of the event wound down. “This is an amazing turnout.”

Among the 600-plus attendees were Colombian superstar singer Juanes and his wife, actress Karen Martinez, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez, NASCAR chairman and CEO Brian France and reigning Cup champion Jimmie Johnson. A guitar owned and signed by Juanes, who performed after dinner, raised $4,002 in a silent auction; Montoya’s autographed race helmet raised $5,000.

‘DRIVE FOR DIVERSITY’

Because he hit the NASCAR circuit already established as a world-class driver, Montoya has become a poster child for NASCAR’s effort to bring new kinds of faces to the sport. The “Drive for Diversity” program cultivates minority and female drivers and crew chiefs in its lower level series in hopes they will ascend to the upper ranks.

“He’s legitimized the diversity message for the sport … because he’s a legitimate star,” Ganassi president Steve Lauletta said.

[Click on the essay title above to read the full story.]