Mike Metcalf, one of the few Black men working on a NASCAR pit crew, knew what would come next. He saw how this would unfurl after Kyle Larson, then a driver on his Chip Ganassi Racing team, uttered the N-word during a live-streamed iRacing event in April 2020.
First, though, he felt the pain.
“It was a punch to the stomach, man,” Metcalf said. “Just lost your breath for a second.”
Larson lost his ride with Ganassi, NASCAR suspended him and his team’s championship hopes vanished — as Metcalf expected. NASCAR, a historically white, Southern sport, was suddenly forced to reckon with a culture that has often excluded drivers and fans of color.
“People on ESPN and Twitter and all that were like, ‘Oh, yeah, well, of course, I’m sure that’s how all those people talk,’ kind of referring to NASCAR,” Metcalf said.
“So when this Kyle thing happened, it kind of woke NASCAR up a little bit to say, ‘OK, we need to do more.’ … And so [it’s] trying to make the garage a better place that’s not just white, Southern male.”
Now, though, Larson is driving for the winningest Cup Series team ever, Hendrick Motorsports, and will be one of four drivers competing for the 2021 championship at Phoenix Raceway on Sunday. That raises obvious questions: Has anything actually changed in the last 18 months? Is NASCAR becoming more inclusive?
NASCAR and its leaders have said many of the right things and tout progress, but some people in the garage, fans and experts agree it still has a long way to go to back up that talk and generate real change.
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The most outwardly noticeable action NASCAR took — both after Larson’s transgression and amid a broader discussion of racism in the U.S. — was banning flying the Confederate flag at races and events.
While NASCAR president Steve Phelps recently called that “the proudest day” for him as a leader, the driver who spearheaded the effort, Bubba Wallace, still thinks the flags are too prevalent among fans of the sport, particularly outside of race tracks.
“I don’t know if there’s a way to police that since it’s not on their property,” Wallace said. “Just rolling in, people could be coming to the race for the first time, and they see that and they’re like, ‘Eh, we’re gonna keep driving.’ So trying to eliminate those sightings as much as we can leading into a race track is big.”
Change, Phelps and the rest of NASCAR are finding, comes slowly. He acknowledged that, prior to the national outcry over a Minneapolis police officer murdering George Floyd in May 2020, racism was not something that resonated with some in racing.
“I would suggest before June of 2020, our industry wasn’t ready, and that sounds awful,” Phelps said on the Champions of Change podcast, produced by RISE, which advocates for social justice in sports and partnered with NASCAR. “And I guess in some ways, I don’t feel great about that. … 18 months later now, it is the single most important decision we’ve made. And it’s working. We have a brand-new fan base that’s being welcomed by fans who have been fans of the sport for decades.”
Throughout the last 10 years, NASCAR’s fan base has become more diverse. In 2021, one out of four fans identifies as a person of color, compared with one out of five in 2011, according to research conducted by Nielsen Scarborough.
Brandon Thompson, who became NASCAR’s vice president of diversity and inclusion in June 2020, called the banning of Confederate flags “a seminal moment” because “there’s never a wrong time to do the right thing.” Other efforts at increasing inclusion and broadening the appeal of the sport — both for fans and young drivers and pit crew members — have been less visible and the results more nebulous.
Changing a Culture: NASCAR’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion initiatives (since May 2020) |
|---|
| Established an Employee Diversity Council and the Executive Ally Council, which collaborate on DE&I strategies, leadership and other ideas |
| Introduced employee resource groups focused on people of color, women and members of the LGBTQ+ community as forums for shared experiences and to foster a stronger community network among employees |
| Established the DE&I Committee, which identifies industry-wide collaborative opportunities while sharing best practices and key learnings. Representatives are from the sanctioning body, tracks, teams, drivers and official partners. |
| Aligned with advocacy organizations focusing on women, BIPOC and the LGBTQ+ community, including: |
| Participated in the LGBTQ+-focused, “You Can Play” Pride Auction, donating a signed helmet and two tickets along with a VIP experience for a 2021 race |
| Sponsored Truth Be Told: The Policies that Impacted Black Lives exhibit at The Muhammad Ali Center in Louisville, and in May 2021, donated to the George Floyd Memorial Foundation |
| During the 2020-21 offseason, RISE conducted workshops for more than 1,500 NASCAR employees, drivers and other industry personnel about racism, anti-racism and unconscious biases. NASCAR is looking to expand it in 2022 to gender biases and sexual harassment. |
The employee councils, Thompson said, were designed so NASCAR employees could “speak candidly in a safe space” in the aftermath of Larson’s racist slur, civil rights protests around the world and the FBI’s investigation into a suspected hate crime against Wallace after his team found a noose in its garage stall at Talladega Superspeedway in June of 2020. If NASCAR wants to lead the industry to be more diverse, inclusive and equitable, it needs to start with its own practices as an employer, Thompson said.
NASCAR has a “responsibility to make sure that the drivers are educated” about racism and social justice issues, Thompson added, and it engaged with RISE for those trainings in hopes it would help them see these issues in a new light.
“NASCAR is changing, and the people there are becoming more welcoming,” said Toni Breidinger, a 22-year-old ARCA driver of Lebanese descent who, this year, became the first Arab-American woman to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned event.
“Society is evolving and becoming more inclusive, so definitely NASCAR is under pressure to do that, as well.”
On the competition side, Thompson pointed to the Drive for Diversity program, started in 2004, with Larson, Wallace and Daniel Suárez being the most prominent alums among about 70 total driver participants. Whether it’s recruiting potential drivers or pit crew members, Thompson noted the program is specifically targeting HBCUs, among other schools.
Continuing expansion efforts, NASCAR announced in September its partnership with I AM ATHLETE, the athlete-led YouTube show founded by former NFL All-Pro Brandon Marshall. I AM ATHLETE – NASCAR explores the sport and its culture in 16 episodes, and Wallace, Suárez and Phelps were in the first three episodes, in addition to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, Breidinger and the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program being featured in an I AM ATHLETE collaboration earlier this year.
NASCAR knows it can foster engagement with new fans if they see people like them represented in the sport. New, high-profile celebrities getting involved in NASCAR can help. Michael Jordan and Pitbull became team owners prior to this season and have announced educational programs aimed at minority students.
Others who have become NASCAR fans include Super Bowl champion Bernard Pollard, who took an interest in the sport after seeing Wallace on CNN with Don Lemon. He’s all in on NASCAR now, regularly expresses enthusiasm for racing (he got an iRacing rig last year) and was honored at the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards. Wallace said athletes and other celebrities getting involved in the sport is giving it a boost, as with New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara being named NASCAR’s first Growth and Engagement Advisor in June.
“Having him be a brand ambassador is big for our sport,” Wallace said of Kamara. “And you just get a lot of positive traction from the celebrity side of things, that [they] are talking about our sport. So it’s good.”
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For all that NASCAR has done, the fact remains that Wallace is the lone Black driver racing at the highest level. Thompson acknowledged the sport still has “got some ground to make up.”
Others are more blunt.
“NASCAR hasn’t had to really reckon with the fact that it shouldn’t be a Southern, white sport,” said Dr. Louis Moore, a sports historian and professor at Grand Valley State in Michigan.
“I think they got comfortable marketing to that, unlike other sports. … And I think that’s what separates NASCAR is that it’s taken so long for them to realize that we can’t just be the Southern, white sport.”
Because of that, NASCAR is still building up a base of diverse fans and instituting policies and programs that can help it expand. But the pace can be frustrating for those involved in the sport.
“They are making an effort, and I do see some change,” Breidinger said. “Is it fast enough? No, I don’t think so. But I do see them doing things and trying to be more inclusive. … I feel like they’re a little bit behind, and it’s a little bit slow. But at least there’s some sort of effort.”
Specifically, NASCAR needs to do a better job of uplifting minorities in the sport, Breidinger said, with more exposure and financial backing to help overcome institutional racism. Upon learning she was the first Arab-American woman to compete in a NASCAR sanctioned race, she said she was shocked and disappointed no one had come before her.
Despite being celebrated at the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Awards in October, she said she previously applied twice for the Drive for Diversity program — which covers drivers’ expenses for competing — but was denied (NASCAR said the 2021 class has eight drivers in the program, but that number can changed each year “based on need.”) Breidinger grew frustrated that she “never received any sort of support” from the sanctioning body in terms of help securing funding, adding that the mere fact that NASCAR even has diversity awards shows how far the sanctioning body still has to go.
Breidinger said she continues struggling to find funding, which prevented her from running a full-time ARCA season and ultimately kept her from making her Truck Series debut.
Excited to have @HairClub on the car this weekend at Phoenix🚀 pic.twitter.com/81fdP0Uqsx
— Toni Breidinger (@ToniBreidinger) November 2, 2021
Moore cited additional funding as one way to remove some economic barriers for women and people of color attempting to break into NASCAR upper echelon.
“They have a history of intentionally keeping people out,” Moore said. “So it’s all about what NASCAR wants to do. … You really have to be invested in this if this is how you want to grow, and if you have folks not on board, then you’ll just be stuck where you’re at.”
Whether it’s for those already competing or people with dreams of doing so, access to racing limits who can reach the sport’s top levels, he said. And he drew an analogy to Jackie Robinson.
“Jackie breaks in, but there’s a whole lot of other Black players that are there waiting,” Moore said. “If you’re a minority driver, the barrier was set up against you, but you’re really coming from a small pool [compared with all the players in the baseball’s Negro League], right? So I think the challenge is a lot harder, and it might be designed that way to limit access, to limit opportunities.”
Providing educational opportunities for drivers and fans on local Black history, like when NASCAR goes to Daytona or Talladega, would be one way to help grow the sport with new fans, Moore suggested. He also said drivers could take notes from someone like DeAndre Hopkins, the Arizona Cardinals wide receiver who wore a helmet sticker with Denmark Vesey’s name on it, prompting people to Google the man who was enslaved, bought his freedom in 1799 and plotted a rebellion.
Similarly, in 2020, Denny Hamlin — a driver who will compete against Larson for a title on Sunday and co-owner of Wallace’s 23XI Racing team with Jordan — raced with a National Civil Rights Museum paint scheme after visiting the museum. NASCAR needs more sponsors, like FedEx, willing to paint these messages on their cars, Moore said, along with more forward-thinking team owners and leaders who push beyond a “shut up and race or shut up and dribble” mentality.
Moore also suggested some kind of reparations program with a clear goal of NASCAR compensating for some of its past sins. One recent example of the sport doing exactly that came at Daytona International Speedway in August when NASCAR presented Wendell Scott’s family with a trophy honoring his 1963 victory — the first for a Black driver at the sport’s highest level. At the time, NASCAR declared runner-up Buck Baker the winner; track officials acknowledged hours later that Scott had lapped the field twice. Still, Scott — who died in 1990 and was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015 — wasn’t credited with the victory for another two years, but it wasn’t until August that his family got an official celebration.
Metcalf said amends like that make him “really proud to be a part of the NASCAR community.”
“It’s so hard to win races and to be robbed of that moment,” he added. “But then to see at Daytona last month that trophy given to his son, it’s like, OK, we’re doing something. I don’t know what we’re doing, but we’re making progress. We’re thinking about things. We’re trying to go back and look and see where we missed it and trying to fix it and at least bring awareness to it.”
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When it comes to appealing to and attracting new, young and diverse fans and NASCAR-hopefuls, exposure is at the top of the list for Thompson. But priorities and timely execution are two different things.
For fans like Phil Spain — a 31-year-old lifelong fan from Maryland who is Black — NASCAR is trending in the right direction, and while he thinks Larson using a racist slur never should have happened, the incident ignited some necessary changes in NASCAR’s approach. But he said the sport’s success with those efforts “still remains to be seen, honestly.”
“I want to see more young African American men and women; I want to see more Latinx people involved,” Spain said.
Instead of celebrating people only during Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month or LGBT History Month, as examples, Spain hopes to see more year-round efforts from NASCAR showing pride in its diversity. Beyond lip service and hashtags, he said NASCAR needs to “practice what they’re preaching” to have a meaningful impact. It’s all about outreach in his eyes, and he said while he knows there’s no overnight solution, he thinks holding more clinics or demonstrations in predominantly Black communities would help attract fans and potential competitors. And once they’re already at race tracks, Spain said areas in the fan zones dedicated to Black history or The Trevor Project or another advocacy group could help with education.
To that point, NASCAR and RISE said they’re planning to have a joint fan experience for 2022.
“NASCAR is doing the right thing,” Spain said. “They are promoting it outside, but change has to come from within the fan base.”
NASCAR is proud to support the important work of @TrevorProject this month and all year long.
If you're struggling right now, remember that you're not alone. The Trevor Project is always here to help LGBTQ young people. For more information: https://t.co/MlCZsV6BWy#PrideMonth pic.twitter.com/NfoaubObUn
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) June 1, 2021
In the last year and a half, Spain said he’s connected on Twitter with several Black NASCAR fans, and he hopes to see Black racing fans specifically targeted with ad campaigns and promotions. But he said it has to be a genuine effort because “we can tell within two seconds of something happening where it looks like we’re being pandered to.”
In addition to building career pipelines for people of color, Thompson said NASCAR has contracted a marketing agency to consult “on what our Black consumer strategy should be” while still trying to be authentic. And some things can’t be manufactured, he said, like when “the true character of the NASCAR industry” was on display as the whole Talladega garage rallied around Wallace when it was thought he might have been a victim of a hate crime.
“I honestly think that NASCAR knows what they have,” Moore said. “They know that Black people like NASCAR, and they need to figure out and be honest with themselves if they really want those fans, right? … Do you really want those fans? Are you tapping into that or not? And if so, then go full out.”
Of course, there is a vocal opposition to every stride NASCAR has made, performative or otherwise. Some still incorrectly believe the noose found at Talladega was a hoax orchestrated by Wallace. Those Confederate flags are still seen outside of race tracks. Some would prefer drivers just shut up and race. And the latest reminder NASCAR still has a way to go to be fully inclusive was Kyle Busch using an ableist slur Sunday after the Martinsville Speedway race.
NASCAR is hardly the only sport struggling to deal with fans whose viewpoints don’t align with where the sport wants to move.
“Racist fandom is part of American sports, traditionally,” Moore said. “It’s always been there in every sport. But there’s ways to deal with it. And I think the NBA recently is starting to kick fans out, right? Just take away their tickets. We see soccer in Europe dealing with this all the time where you’re gonna stop letting fans come in. And so NASCAR has to figure out what they want to do, and it has to be [a] no-nonsense approach.”
Metcalf is encouraged every time he hears about someone in the NASCAR garage calling out racist behaviors or language, but he said he hasn’t forgotten the times fans in the grandstands hurled insults at him and made him feel unwelcome. He can guess what someone with a Confederate flag tattoo thinks of him.
People have made comments about Breidinger’s skin color, she recalled, and every time she races, she hears sexist comments directed at her.
“I definitely do hope that we get to that point where we’re all just equal and there’s no need for labels,” Breidinger said. “For me, people ask, like, ‘All these headlines have you saying, ‘Arab-American female.’ If you want to be equal, why are you mentioning it?’ Because we’re not equal yet.”
At Talladega in October, Wallace won his first Cup race and became just the second Black driver, following Scott, to win at NASCAR’s highest level. But Wallace is still often booed — second in boos behind Busch, he suspects — and said his haters have actually gotten louder since 2020.
“It’s definitely taken a turn for the worse as far as fan interaction,” Wallace said. “That’s them. They’re the ones who have to lay down at night and realize what’s going on. … Some just may not like me as a driver, which is fine. But it’s just ironic that the boos have gotten louder and more consistent ever since last year. And so it’s just, I guess, quite the timing.”
However, the majority of NASCAR fans have been supportive of the sport’s anti-racism and inclusion efforts, Thompson said, noting that the governing body works to not let a vocal minority determine the narrative about the sport.
“No one’s in the business, particularly nowadays, of firing their customers,” Thompson said. “But we also know and understand that true NASCAR fans are going to continue to be supportive about this, and if lifelong fans decide that this is not for them anymore because they’re opposed to the sport being more inclusive, then unfortunately, we’re OK with continuing to move on.”
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