NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity

This is the first in a series of articles highlighting NASCAR’s efforts in diversity, equity, and inclusion.

How does a sport steeped in tradition stay relevant in a changing world? When your roots run deep into the mountains running moonshine and your sport is known as a predominately Southern white male centric sport, it can be increasingly difficult to attract new fans outside that decreasing demographic. To stay alive and relevant, a wider fan base must be established. But how can that be accomplished when practically everyone in the sport – from the fans to the drivers to the support teams – looks the same (white male, mid-20s to mid-40s)?

The answer comes out of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. D4D began in 2004 with the intent of pulling talent from underrepresented demographics. The original program saw minimal success for several years. Many of the participants in the early years of the program were older than other drivers, put into subpar equipment on teams with minimal financial support, and therefore were not able to race competitively. It was an okay start, but there was definite room for improvement.

In 2009, Rev Racing owner Max Siegel was tapped to head up the program and redesign it for maximum output. Siegel has successfully led multiple agencies, including serving as president of Dale Earnhardt Inc. and president or vice president of several record labels. His success at the helm of these businesses translated well into success with the Drive for Diversity program. Rev Racing serves as the voice of the driver development program. According to their website, Rev Racing has had 23 wins, 112 top 5s, and 220 top 10s in the ARCA Menards Series. Ten percent of the Cup Series field in 2019 came from the Drive for Development program. Seventy-five of the pit crew members in that same season came from the Pit Crew Development side of D4D.

Today, NASCAR’s Drive for Development program pulls college athletes and students with an interest in motorsports into the program. There are three different areas that potential participants may be enrolled in. The Internship Program seeks high performing scholars with a motorsports interest to train in a variety of fields within motorsports and business operations. The Pit Crew Development program utilizes coach recommendations and scouts that go to different colleges seeking out star athletes with motorsports interests. The Driver Development program connects female or minority drivers with a team of experts who offer more than just driver training. Drivers in the Driver Development program also learn how to interact with the media, effective self-promotion and branding, sponsor relations, and health and wellness topics.

The Drive for Development program exists to give drivers and pit crew members access to teams and training that they may not be able to get to from their talent alone. Drivers who show promise at their local tracks during their younger years may also go through the youth development program. To be eligible for the driver development program, applicants must be 15-22 years old, female or a member of one or more specific ethnic minorities (American Indian, Alaskan Native or of native/indigenous descent; Asian or Pacific Islander; Black or African-American; Latino or Hispanic), and eligible to work in the United States. In the youth development program, applicants must be ages 12-17 and will be part of a year-long commitment to the D4D program.

To be eligible for the pit crew member development program, applicants must be 18-26 years old, eligible to work in the United States, have a high school diploma or GED, female or a member of one ore more specific ethnic minorities (Black or African-American; Asian; Hispanic or Latino; Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander; American Indian or Alaska Native; or a combination of more than one of the listed ethnicities), no criminal record, valid driver’s license, good physical condition, completed physical, and participate in a high school or college sport, preferably as a starter. Pit Crew development members will work out and train a minimum of three days per week in addition to the same media training that drivers receive in their development program. A four-year commitment to the program is required for pit crew members.

Athletes and drivers benefit from the development program through increased exposure to and potential long-term employment with top performing NASCAR teams. NASCAR teams benefit through trained, skilled team members they may not have found otherwise. Fans benefit by seeing people that look like them doing amazing things like carrying 50 pounds of tire and rim or a 100-pound fuel can or drive 3300 pounds of metal at over 100 mph for a couple hundred miles. NASCAR benefits by attracting new top quality team members and drivers and widening their fan base. Embracing new opportunities by opening doors for fresh talent will lead NASCAR into future success that will be sustainable because of the diversity in the new talent.

For more information or to apply to NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program, visit https://www.nascar.com/diversity/.