Daugherty Plans Tribute To NASCAR Pioneer, Wendell Scott

BRISTOL, Tenn. – Many NASCAR fans will realize a dream at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend when a cast of legendary drivers returns for the Saturday Night Special.
For Brad Daugherty, the 15-lap celebrity event before the legends race will have special meaning.

The former National Basketball Association star and current ESPN analyst will pay tribute to the first African-American driver to compete full-time in NASCAR’s premier series. Daugherty’s Late Model car will feature the No. 34, the former number of Wendell Scott.

“Wendell is one of my heroes, and I wanted to honor him,” Daugherty said.

A life-long race fan who grew up in rural North Carolina, Daugherty said he wishes more fans had a deeper appreciation for the contributions of Scott.

“I don’t think people appreciate the tenacity that the guy had,’’ Daugherty said. “Wendell was treated almost sub-human at times, but he persevered and did what he wanted to do no matter the obstacle.”

Relying on friends and family for his crew, Scott finished among the top 10 in championship points four consecutive seasons. Scott also won a Cup race in 1963 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla.
Before Tuesday’s practice session at Bristol Motor Speedway, Daugherty gained insight on Scott’s legacy from former driver and car owner, Junior Johnson.

“Junior was telling me that Wendell would have been a great race driver, but he never had good equipment,’’ Daugherty said.

Johnson, who will team with Daugherty in Saturday’s event, also shared the story of how he once prepared a car for Scott, a native of Danville, Va.

“Junior said he couldn’t quite put everything into Wendell’s car because [Johnson] he had his own stuff to look after,’’ Daugherty said.

Daugherty, who became more interested in the Scott saga said after reading the controversial 2008 book, “Hard Driving,” said he believes a more open discussion on diversity could be healthy in a sport that has long lacked diversity.

“It’s reality,” Daugherty said. “The problem we’ve got in our society is that we can’t talk about race and we can’t talk about how people were treated, especially minorities.
“When you do talk about it , you get in trouble. That’s wrong. We need to talk about these topics. We need to realize that Wendell went through. You just can’t sweep it under the rug all the time.”

As for NASCAR’s Drive For Diversity program, Daugherty feels a more broad-based effort is needed to attract a minority a driver.

“NASCAR has put forth a yeomen’s effort in trying to support in diversity program over the past decade, but in my opinion there are some things that need to be differently that would be more effective,” Daugherty said.
“I’m not throwing sticks and stones at NASCAR. I just think there are some things that could be done that would create more vast pool of candidates.

Daugherty, co-owner of the JTG-Daugherty Racing team in the Sprint Cup Series, was encouraged with the news that 18-year-old African-American driver Marc Davis hopes to make his Bristol Motor Speedway debut in Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at BMS.
Davis has a family-owned team led by his father, Harry.

“[Bristol] is a tough place to make a debut or race for anybody, but he and Harry are working hard and they have a good partnership with an historically black college,” Daugherty said, referring to Howard University.
“It’s very difficult to race at this level out of your own pocket, but I think I think Marc has the ability to participate at the Cup level someday if he’s given the opportunity.”

No matter the skin color, driving opportunities have become scarce for driver this season.

“I’m a car owner and I would love to have opportunity to help guys like Marc,” Daugherty said. “It’s just tough right now. I proud of how Marc is fighting, clawing, and trying his darndest to survive in this business.”

Daugherty said he hope fans will pay more attention to the role Scott had as a NASCAR pioneer.

“Wendell was a racer, and he’s a true champion,” said Daugherty, who hopes to meet members of the Scott family.

34 cars in UARA field

Qualifying for Saturday’s UARA 100-lap Late Model race at BMS was held Thursday, and Matt McCall earned the pole.

McCall, of Denver, N.C., posted a lap of 15.44 seconds around .533-mile track. Jamey Caudill, Paddy Rodenbeck, Jake Crum and Coleman Pressley, son of Busch Series veteran Robert Pressley, rounded out the top five qualifiers.

Car owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. placed two cars in the top 10, with Richard Boswell II and former Australian Super Car driver, Owen Kelly.
Abingdon’s Caleb Holman qualified 11th in the 34-car field, while Nate Monteith (Bluff City) was 14th. The list of local qualifiers also included Wade Day (Elizabethton), John King (Kingsport), Caleb Roark (Abingdon) and Keith Stiltner (Grundy).

Beamer set for race

Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer says he’s both nervous and excited about his chance to drive a stock car around Bristol Motor Speedway.

Food City invited coach Beamer as one of the celebrity drivers for the “Saturday Night Special.” Beamer will team with NASCAR legend Cale Yarborough.

“The Food City people asked me to come down there, and drive a race car around the track for about 15 laps,” Beamer said. “We may set a record for speed. The slowest anyone has ever gone around Bristol racetrack.”

The winning team of the charity race will receive $25,000 for their charities. The runner-up gets $10,000. All other teams receive $5,000.

Coach Beamer says his money will be donated to Herma’s Readers, the program named after his mother to help encourage students to read.

agregory@bristolnews.com|(276) 645-2544