NASCAR has seen its ratings dip in recent years, even as attendance keeps climbing.
While the Daytona 500 is a national event, and early season races are held in Southern California and Las Vegas, the fact is that the base of the sport remains in the South.
Most NASCAR fans are white and – unlike NASCAR executives – could care less if black racing fans show up at the track.
But, NASCAR does care and here are some factual reasons explaining its concern.
According to Nielson Media Research, the number of black households watching NASCAR races by network last season plummeted compared to figures from 2004.
NBC was down 193,000 black viewers, a 10.6 percent drop; FOX 181,000, down 23.9 percent; TNT 72,000, down 19.1 percent.
Bill Lester became the first black driver to start a Cup race since 1986 in 2006, and he started just two races last year. He remains the only black competitor in any of NASCAR’s top series, with most of his experience coming in the NASCAR Truck series. While he has finished in the top 10 in races, he has never won any of his more than 130 starts.
NASCAR does sponsor a minority internship program. It helps fund about 20 scholarships for minority students, places about 35 minority students in internships, provides a mentoring program for minority college students at select racetracks, visits historically black colleges and universities, supports the driver diversity program and has a diversity council.
This could be the mechanism that creates more black NASCAR drivers, but unlike a 200-miles per hour race, this going is very slow.
These black drivers have a chance to move up to the Sprint Cup level.
Chase Austin is from Eudora, Kan., and will compete part-time in the Nationwide Series in 2008, driving the #64 Atreus Communities Chevy for RWI. He competed in the Busch East Series in 2007. He made history by being just the second African-American driver in the Nationwide Series history.
Austin made his Nationwide debut in 2007, competing at Memphis. Starting last (43rd) on the field, Austin had broken his way into the top-twenty before crashing and finishing 41st.
Chris Bristol, a N.C. A&T grad, who turns 30 this year is scheduled to compete in the Busch East Series. Bristol became the first black driver to win a race at Hickory Motor Speedway in 2005. He was backed by the late Reggie White when he began competing, along with Gibbs Motor Sports.
Lloyd Mack is competing in the Busch West Series for STAR Motorsports. The 24-year-old raced late models and modifieds on the West Coast and tested an Indy Racing League car in 2003.
Marc Davis is a 17-year-old who will also drive in the Busch East Series for Joe Gibbs Racing after nearly winning the limited late model title last season at Hickory. Youth, previous success and the team behind him give him the best chance to make a lasting impact in Cup.
Fourteen-year-old Darrell Wallace Jr., of Concord, N.C., has time on his side and experience. He competes in the National Guard Legends Car Semi-Pro division of the Summer Shootout Series at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and has been impressive since making his series debut in 2004 behind the wheel of a Bandolero.
He plans to move to late models this season after racing in the semi-pro Legends Car division last summer while affiliated with Roush Racing.
