CHARLOTTE — Wendell Scott’s story includes a legacy of being first and an unrelenting drive to finish. He was the first African-American team owner and driver to compete full time in NASCAR’s premier series.
On Dec. 1, 1963, he became the first to win.
“Death threats, he was poisoned once,” his family told Channel 9. “Of course the presence of the Jim Crow South existed tremendously. Racing in the part of town where the KKK could be.”
Scott never received his championship trophy from 1963.
>> In the video at the top of the page, Channel 9′s DaShawn Brown speaks with the family of Wendell Scott about his life as a racing legend and the impact he continues to have today -- more than 30 years after his death.
His family said his dreams are now fuel that energizes them. They started the Wendell Scott Foundation to connect students in North Carolina and Virginia to resources like mentoring, STEM skills, and a legacy of leadership.
The legacy of Wendell Scott includes a Hall of Fame #NASCAR career and a long list of firsts.
— DaShawn Brown (@DaShawnWSOC9) February 8, 2022
But I spoke with his grandson, and founder of the Wendell Scott Foundation, do enough people know his story? ‘Absolutely not.’
Tonight at 6PM on @wsoctv — his work to change that. pic.twitter.com/RrIqNYRLz0
(WATCH BELOW: Dale Earnhardt Jr. matches his father as NASCAR Hall of Famer)
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