December 23

Wendell Scott

The first African American driver in Nascar, Wendell Oliver Scott died in Danville, Virginia on December 23, 1990 at age 69.  Scott was born on August 29, 1921 in Danville, Virginia.  He was also the first African American to win in the Grand National Series which is now called the Sprint Cup Series. Scott won this race on December 1, 1963 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. Just as Jackie Robinson faced racism for breaking the color barriers in baseball, Scott faced the same types of obstacles in stock car racing because he was an African American.

His perseverance, talent and hard work took him across the finish line in the end as a legendary champion in the history of Nascar racing. This is evident by his being posthumously inducted in the Nascar Hall of Fame in 2015.