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Racism in NASCAR? Say it ain't so.

Spero

ass rainbow
Jul 12, 2005
2,072
0
Tejas
• Grant was forced to work outside more often than the white male officials because her supervisors believed she couldn’t sunburn because she was black.

• While riding in the backseat of her car pool at Talladega Superspeedway, co-workers told her to duck as they passed race fans. “I don’t want to start a riot when these fans see a black woman in my car,” she claims one official said.

• When packing up a dark garage at Texas Motor Speedway an official told Grant: “Keep smiling and pop your eyes out ’cause we can’t see you.”

• When she ignored advances from co-workers, Grant was accused of being gay. She also claimed co-workers questioned the sexual orientation of two other female officials.

• She was asked by her supervisor “Does your workout include an urban obstacle course with a flat-screen TV on your back?”
You just can't make that stuff up...
 

ummbikes

Don't mess with the Santas
Apr 16, 2002
1,794
0
Napavine, Warshington
Oh please, racism is no more prevalent in Nascar than anywhere else in America. We are not exactly a beacon of light for the world to follow for race relations.
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
Oh please, racism is no more prevalent in Nascar than anywhere else in America. We are not exactly a beacon of light for the world to follow for race relations.
Not a lot of black drivers. Motocross has a black rider (who just happens to be a star). F1 has a black driver (also a star, even though I don't much like him, personally.)

Hell, even golf has a couple of token black players. (And what a couple of players, I might add...)

NASCAR, not so much. Hell, look at this article:

http://www.nascar.com/2007/news/headlines/cup/04/19/mdavis.phoenix.weekend/index.html

The young, well-mannered black teen will make his intermediate track debut Thursday night in NASCAR's Grand National Division West Series race at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Anyone want to translate the bold part into regular English?

I'm not commenting on the merits of the lawsuit here, either. I don't think it's a stretch to make the claim that NASCAR, due to having roots in the South, probably has more a problem with racism that other sports. Go to a race and count the Confederate flags sometime...
 

ummbikes

Don't mess with the Santas
Apr 16, 2002
1,794
0
Napavine, Warshington
You kind of make my point Silver. (How ya been? I miss the PAWN fights. Work sucks.)

All the sports you mention are dominated by white participants. It is noticable that Hamilton is in F1, Woods in golf, and Bubba Stewart rips up motocross. NASCAR has had and will again have black drivers. It will be news.

Sure, the southern US rednecks are open about their bigotry. The rednecks in Washington feel the same but just don't fly a flag. I still get the "You don't look Mexican" comments here all the time. WTF does a Mexican look like anyways? Should I get a sombrero? It's everywhere man! I telling you every fooking conrner of the US!

"Well mannered" LAWL
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
Hamilton is one driver out of 20.

Between Cup, Nationwide, and Trucks there has to be at least 100 seats. In a sport with Southern roots.

Not one black man...I don't think that's a coincidence. Some of it might be due to the fact that who you know seems to be more important than how fast you are (I'm looking at you, Kyle Petty and Michael Waltrip...) but it's not like the genesis of the sport came out of Norway, y'know.

I agree that racism is still prevalent, especially in America. I just wouldn't be surprised if NASCAR was worse than the norm...

(Doing well. Stop working so much. It's not healthy.)
 

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
The young, well-mannered black teen will make his intermediate track debut Thursday night in NASCAR's Grand National Division West Series race at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Anyone want to translate the bold part into regular English?
I think it means, unlike the majority of hay-seeds involved in the sport, this dude actually has composure.

To expect every sport to reflect the racial make-up of the country is a stretch. I swam competitively @ the national level through college and remember only a handful of black competitors in that time. Does that make swimming racist, too?

Personally I think nascar is great, been going my whole life. It may be redneck but its the least of this country's worries.
 

ummbikes

Don't mess with the Santas
Apr 16, 2002
1,794
0
Napavine, Warshington
Bill Lester ran the NASCAR truck series last year, though it looks like he is road racing this year.

Is it a race issue that more minorities don't engage in motorsports or a question of economics? I argue economics, I race rallycross and it is a cheap as you can get for SCCA sanctioned racing. That said even as fairly good earners my wife and I discuss in great detail how every discretionary dollar is spent. As a side note I hae spent much less doing car racing than I did when riding bikes. But even as cheap way to race I have seen exactly one black driver at the Oregon or Washington events. So is it a question of having the extra cash to play with cars?
 

Jeremy R

<b>x</b>
Nov 15, 2001
9,698
1,053
behind you with a snap pop
I see 99% white people at bike races in a state where the population is about 65% white.
No doubt.
We have no room to talk.
Cycling is a straight up Honkey festival.

The higher up douches at Nascar care a ton about their mainstream image that want to portray. I guarantee you that if a black driver was fast enough, they would have Tyrone Token plastered all over the planet.
Burger King cups, tees at Wal-Mart, the whole nine.
Plus, he could be sponsored by the Smith family reunion.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I agree that racism is still prevalent, especially in America. I just wouldn't be surprised if NASCAR was worse than the norm...

You Canadian born and living in socal or something?


That's some brilliant fvcking insight.:D


I used to have an mp3 audio from some morning show in kentucky or somewhere as culturally advanced. Two wacky, zany hosts call this guy pretending to be from some made up nascar organization gathering opinions on the fictitious new black star that was rising through the ranks. The guy starts off pretty chill but ends up ranting and raving about how it's nasCAR, not nasCOON. Oh god I wish I could find it.
 

Fonzie18

Turbo Monkey
Yeah, I was about to mention cycling. Although there are some exceptions. In particular, this kid that rides the local DH trails. Definitely rips and has better form than most semi-pro riders, Bubba of DHing in a couple of years.

ummbikes said:
"You don't look Mexican" comments here all the time. WTF does a Mexican look like anyways? Should I get a sombrero? It's everywhere man! I telling you every fooking conrner of the US!
Damn, I LOLed. I can't think of how many times I have heard the same thing. I'll trip them out even more/make them more uncomfortable if I'm with my brother or another "Mexican" friend and start talking Spanish loudly...works every time.
 
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sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
I see 99% white people at bike races in a state where the population is about 65% white.
I have thought about this one.

First of all, bike racing is not a culture of racism. I have cyclist friends from all walks of life, and the one common element of all of them is a sense of independence. Ultimately, you have to go it alone if you want to ride bikes, and that is not the good-ole boy network which creates racism.

I like to joke about the few minorities that ride, though. I was in a mini van driving around Fairfax with two bike company reps, one black the other Puerto Rican, and I said, "Great, A black man, a PR, and a Chinese man. We are definitely getting pulled over in downtown Fairfax [one of the whitest communities the Bay Area]".

Finally, while I have seen some racism, like when the staff of a suburban Connecticut shop tense up when a black man walked in, who was dressed in khakis, buttondown shirt, and a cardigan, and who happened to be a doctor; mostly bikers have stuck up for minorities.
 

Westy

the teste
Nov 22, 2002
54,225
20,003
Sleazattle
I have thought about this one.

First of all, bike racing is not a culture of racism. I have cyclist friends from all walks of life, and the one common element of all of them is a sense of independence. Ultimately, you have to go it alone if you want to ride bikes, and that is not the good-ole boy network which creates racism.

I like to joke about the few minorities that ride, though. I was in a mini van driving around Fairfax with two bike company reps, one black the other Puerto Rican, and I said, "Great, A black man, a PR, and a Chinese man. We are definitely getting pulled over in downtown Fairfax [one of the whitest communities the Bay Area]".

Finally, while I have seen some racism, like when the staff of a suburban Connecticut shop tense up when a black man walked in, who was dressed in khakis, buttondown shirt, and a cardigan, and who happened to be a doctor; mostly bikers have stuck up for minorities.
I would generally say that cycling is no more/less racist than the rest of society, you just can't judge an event/organization because of how many minorities participate.
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
I used to have an mp3 audio from some morning show in kentucky or somewhere as culturally advanced. Two wacky, zany hosts call this guy pretending to be from some made up nascar organization gathering opinions on the fictitious new black star that was rising through the ranks. The guy starts off pretty chill but ends up ranting and raving about how it's nasCAR, not nasCOON. Oh god I wish I could find it.

Best friggin' audio clip ever to circulate the internet.
 

CrabJoe StretchPants

Reincarnated Crab Walking Head Spinning Bruce Dick
Nov 30, 2003
14,163
2,484
Groton, MA
Finally, while I have seen some racism, like when the staff of a suburban Connecticut shop tense up when a black man walked in, who was dressed in khakis, buttondown shirt, and a cardigan, and who happened to be a doctor; mostly bikers have stuck up for minorities.
Was it this guy?

 

stevew

resident influencer
Sep 21, 2001
40,494
9,525
Bill Lester ran the NASCAR truck series last year, though it looks like he is road racing this year.

Is it a race issue that more minorities don't engage in motorsports or a question of economics? I argue economics, I race rallycross and it is a cheap as you can get for SCCA sanctioned racing. That said even as fairly good earners my wife and I discuss in great detail how every discretionary dollar is spent. As a side note I hae spent much less doing car racing than I did when riding bikes. But even as cheap way to race I have seen exactly one black driver at the Oregon or Washington events. So is it a question of having the extra cash to play with cars?
I have seen more minorities involved in drag racing.
 

valve bouncer

Master Dildoist
Feb 11, 2002
7,843
114
Japan
Look at the countries that dominate cycling. All pretty much white. Equipment intensive sports are always going to favour white people/countries as they pretty much have all the dough.
 

Silver

find me a tampon
Jul 20, 2002
10,840
1
Orange County, CA
Cycling in Europe is not the upper class leisure activity that it is in the United States. Racing, especially, has roots in the working class.
 

AngryMetalsmith

Business is good, thanks for asking
Jun 4, 2006
21,075
9,778
I have no idea where I am
The young, well-mannered black teen will make his intermediate track debut Thursday night in NASCAR's Grand National Division West Series race at the Phoenix International Raceway.

Anyone want to translate the bold part into regular English?
I think it means, unlike the majority of hay-seeds involved in the sport, this dude actually has composure.
Bullsh1t, the statement is classic southern passive racism. It means he speaks like white people and they were surprised by that.

I used to have an mp3 audio from some morning show in kentucky or somewhere as culturally advanced. Two wacky, zany hosts call this guy pretending to be from some made up nascar organization gathering opinions on the fictitious new black star that was rising through the ranks. The guy starts off pretty chill but ends up ranting and raving about how it's nasCAR, not nasCOON. Oh god I wish I could find it.
I've heard that recording.
 

sanjuro

Tube Smuggler
Sep 13, 2004
17,373
0
SF
"This is Nascar not Blackcar!!!!!"

"Well this guy rode in Kenya 600."

"What was he riding, a tiger?"