Ready for the musings of a 20-year NASCAR fan? This is going to be a long one, so pull those belts tight and get ready for green:
NASCAR is coming to an inner city near you! Ok, not really. That Home Depot hauler will not be making an appearance in Compton anytime soon.
After taking much heat over a lack of ethnic diversity, NASCAR announced in May of 2004 that Earvin "Magic" Johnson would co-chair the newly-created Executive Steering Committee for Diversity. Magic's role would be to:
- Help complete selection of the Executive Steering Committee for Diversity
- Assist NASCAR with creating grassroots programs such as Drive for Diversity that identify and develop African American, Hispanic and women drivers and crew members
- Help NASCAR develop marketing programs that will increase the sport's visibility in urban communities and raise awareness of career and competitive opportunities in motorsports
- Serve as an advisor to NASCAR Chief Operating Officer George Pyne who has day-to-day operational responsibilities for all aspects of diversity in NASCAR
Now, make sure you pay attention to #3. This is the kicker and I'll come back to it soon. But I need to address some other things first.
What sticks out first and foremost in my mind is the fact that Magic Johnson has willingly been taken into the fold by a group of people who showed incredible intolerance to an AIDS-afflicted driver back in the 80's. As far as I know, Tim Richmond never got an apology and neither did his family. Nobody in the NASCAR sanctioning body has ever acknowledged that they handled this situation badly. And many of the old-school fans have never forgotten. Did Magic not know about it?
Second in my train of thoughts is this whole "diversity" thing. It is, quite frankly, bullshit. There are only two women who have attempted to qualify at one of the two biggest NASCAR series this year. Both have substandard equipment and either can't make a successful qualifying attempt or do make the field by the use of provisional placing and are thought of as simply "field fillers". (For those who aren't in the know, a NASCAR event must start with 43 drivers in the field to get the maximum advertising dollars, hence the worst of the teams simply fill the remaining positions and are never a serious contender).
There is only one hispanic man who drives in the #3 series, the Craftsman Truck Series. He does OK, nothing fantastic.
Carlos Contreras
There is only one black man in the top 3 series, and Bill Lester has about ZERO name recognition with the exception of the die-hard fans, and this is after many, many years of racing.
Bill Lester
Now we come to the crews. At last count, there are exactly 6 minorities working for teams in NASCAR's top three series. This includes Hispanics, African-Americans, and women. Let's do some math:
Drivers: 43
Crew Chiefs: 43
Pit crew: 215 (over the wall gang)
Other crew: 215 - 430 (5-10 per team)
Spotters: 43
Minorities: 6
See something wrong here? In almost a year of NASCAR diversity there are 6 minority crew members and 8 up-and-coming drivers considered part of the "program". I didn't count Sarah Fisher (the Indy driver who was scooped up by RCR Racing as their diversity driver) as she is already well-established.
You might say that these numbers aren't so bad for a program that is less than a year old. But I will submit to you that NASCAR's attempts at diversity are geared less towards drivers and crews and more towards minority FANS. That's right, they want to see blacks and hispanics in the stands and watching on TV. NASCAR wants blacks and hispanics to spend money on their sport, and the goal in mind is to replace football as the #1 sport in the country. The only way they can do it is to get minorities involved. It sounds like a huge undertaking, doesn't it? But try they will. And there is a master plan.
The NASCAR Busch series (this is similar to the minor leagues in baseball) spent the past weekend at a racetrack in Mexico, the first time the series has ever been out of the US. Many of the established NEXTEL Cup series teams (the major leagues) found Mexican drivers and put them in cars to qualify. Ten made the field of 43, several of them on provisionals (owner points). They sold tickets for a beginning price of 180 pesos (about $20 for the not so great seats), which is estimated to be double the median daily wage of the average Mexican. The grandstand was nearly full. A Mexican driver qualified at the pole position with a well-established and well-funded Lowe's/Hendrick Motorsports (Jeff Gordon's car owner) Chevrolet. Six Mexican drivers finished the race, and the crowd went wild. They also spent a lot of money at the track and NASCAR got lots of exposure. Goal accomplished. What will happen to the Mexican drivers who did so well? Most of them will go back to their regular racing series in Mexico, with the exception of a few who already race in other series like IRL, CHAMP, and CTS. Maybe the NASCAR teams will come back next year. Maybe not.
At Fontana Speedway two weeks ago, Magic Johnson brought a group of 200 inner city kids with him to the NEXTEL Cup race. I'm sure those kids had a great time meeting drivers and seeing/hearing the cars but what will happen to them after the race is over? Does NASCAR want to help them become great drivers? I don't think so. I think NASCAR wants them to grow up watching the races on TV - God knows they probably won't be able to afford the tickets anytime soon - and of course to buy the NASCAR branded merchandise. Do you think some "diversity program" scout is going to find a kid driving a go-cart at a local track in the 'hood and bring him up as the next Jeff Gordon or Tony Stewart? Will Dale Earnhardt Jr be making appearances in South Central? The teams were terrified that Mexicans would kidnap the drivers or hijack their haulers, for God's sake. Not bloody likely. As for Magic Johnson himself, well, he's a brand. And they're hoping the brand will bring in the dollars.
So will the NASCAR attempt at diversity fail or succeed? I honestly don't know yet. As much as the sanctioning body tries to move away from its roots it is still a white southern sport. Did you watch the Chris Rock special where he says he's "not afraid of al Qaida, I'm afraid of al Cracker". He nailed it on the head. I've been going to races for 20 years, from Michigan to Bristol VA and I've seen maybe, maybe, a dozen black people in the stands altogether. As the foster mother of an African-American son I can tell you that he will do most anything to avoid the Cracker. As for NASCAR itself, I have to remind myself that it is a big-time, big-money, privately held company and they're going to do anything possible to bring in the $$. Even if it's all bullshit.