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Real power in racing is in ownership, an area former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman is entering. Last Thursday, Foreman and his sons, George Jr. and George III, bought a share of Panther Racing, which competes in the IndyCar circuit. Foreman is the fourth African-American to own an IndyCar team in the IRL's 11-year history.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Marc Davis is a new breed of racer. The 17-year-old started in karts at 6 and worked his way up the development series ladder. The next step is the most daunting: landing a ride in a major stock car series.
“I’ve been racing for 11 years and I plan to keep on doing it,” Davis said. “I relax and have fun. I don’t think about the pressure.”
Sunday is the biggest day in American motorsport. More than 150,000 fans are expected to jam into Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., for the Coca-Cola 600, NASCAR’s longest race. In Indianapolis, Ind., the Indianapolis 500, the world’s largest single-day sporting event, drops the green flag at 1 p.m. Neither race will have an African-American behind the wheel, but industry leaders say change is coming.
From driver development and internship programs to ownership recruitment, U.S. racing is expanding its garage. Change is slow, but steady, especially in NASCAR, where Davis participates in the Driver for Diversity program with Joe Gibbs Racing, a top-level team on the Nextel Cup circuit.
The Indy Racing League, which campaigns cars capable of speeds in excess of 225 miles per hour, doesn’t have a driver diversity program, said John Griffin, the league’s vice president of public relations. It emphasizes community-based programs like Next Generacers, a karting series geared to African-American kids in Indianapolis.
“For the last two to three years, we’ve tried to take it to a grassroots level around Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” Griffin said. “We’re trying to wrap our arms around it a lot more than we have in the past. We all understand and are working to get down at the grassroots level because we don’t expect anyone to just jump into an IndyCar.”
NASCAR, which has one black driver in its top three tiers—Truck Series racer Bill Lester of Atlanta—is making inroads, said Richard Lapchick, Ph.D., president of the National Consortium for Academics and Sport at the University of Central Florida and member of NASCAR diversity council chaired by basketball hall-of-famer Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
“They’re trying to tackle a huge area,” Lapchick said. “NASCAR has attempted to not only try to create stars, but on a team level improve diversity.”
Formula 1, the globe-hopping open-wheel series, has one black driver, rookie Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain, who also leads the point standings. Hamilton, 22, finished in the top three in his first four races—a first in series history. Like Davis, Hamilton started racing early as the sport’s marquee series shifted to younger drivers.
“You can’t get there any other way,” said Harry Davis, Marc’s father. “You can’t get there when you’re 17 -- you have to start when you’re 7 or 6 or 5. The roadmap changed with the Jeff Gordon era (in NASCAR). All the drivers are young drivers, but they’re experienced.”
Real power in racing is in ownership, an area former heavyweight boxing champion George Foreman is entering. Last Thursday, Foreman and his sons, George Jr. and George III, bought a share of Panther Racing, which competes in the IndyCar circuit. Foreman is the fourth African-American to own an IndyCar team in the IRL’s 11-year history.
“I’ve been blessed throughout my life to partner with winning organizations, Foreman said in a statement. “Now that I am part of Panthers Racing, I am looking forward to being part of a winning team.”
Griffin said Foreman bought into Panther as an entree into motorsports with an eye towards building his own IndyCar operation.
It also adds another marketing tool for open-wheel racing, which once dominated American motorsport until NASCAR’s emergence in the mid-1990s. Just two African Americans have driven IndyCars—Willy T. Ribbs (1991, 1999) and George Mack (2002). Two blacks have owned teams in NASCAR’s top division—the late Wendell Scott in the 1960s, and Sam Belnavis of Charlotte, now director of diversity programs at Roush Racing.
“If you don’t have a (black) race car driver on the track, then you can follow the owner,” Griffin said.
With luck, Davis will have a following in NASCAR’s biggest stage. He’s competitive in Grand National, with a season-best finish of second at Phoenix International Raceway.
“The cars have more horsepower and the tracks are bigger,” Davis said. “I have a pretty good feeling we’ll be in the Busch Series next year.”
