Sybil Scott remembers her father as a “determined and humble man—one who won the respect of other drivers.”
“That was his legacy,” said Scott, 55.
Scott was recalling her late father, Wendell Scott, before Wednesday night’s Motorsports Hall of Fame of America induction ceremony at the Fillmore Theater in Detroit, an event that attracted many of racing’s living legends.
Wendell Scott, who died Dec. 23, 1990, at age 69, was a racing pioneer—the first African-American driver to compete in NASCAR’s major series. He was the first African American to win a Grand National event, beating Buck Baker to the finish at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla., on Dec. 1, 1963.
Scott, who was awarded the Hall’s Heritage Award in 2008 for his exceptional contributions to motor sports, began racing in 1947. In a career that was prematurely ended by injury in 1973, he made 495 Grand National starts, winning once and recording 147 top-10 finishes. A movie, “Greased Lightning,” starring Richard Pryor, was made of his life in 1977.
“Daddy supported us in all the right things like education and living right,” said Sybil, who still resides in Danville, Va., where her father was raised. “I was a scorekeeper for him at the races. He was a great father and grandfather—the pillar of the community.”
Sybil Scott works with NASCAR’s diversity programs, along with her brother Wendell Scott Jr. “We still work closely with the NASCAR family,” Scott said. “We are making headway but have plenty of work to go.”
Scott said ESPN will show a new special on her father in February. “My father was a man before his time,” Scott said. “He worked hard, against the odds. He was a wonderful man.”
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