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Wendell Scott Jr., son of pioneering NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott, has died.
Wendell Scott Jr. was a fixture on the crew of his father’s family-based team, which broke barriers as the first full-time entry for a Black driver in NASCAR’s top series. The elder Scott became the first Black driver to win a Cup Series race, breaking through on Dec. 1, 1963, in Jacksonville, Florida.
“From his younger days working on his father’s race car, Wendell Scott Jr.’s passion for racing helped lift his father to the pinnacle of our sport,” NASCAR officials said in a statement released Friday. “When his time as a competitor concluded, Wendell dedicated his life to preserving – and growing – his father’s rich legacy. NASCAR is saddened to learn of his passing, and extends its deepest condolences to the entire Scott family during this difficult time.”
Wendell Scott was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2015. Scott Jr. was among the family members making the trip from their Danville, Virginia, home to celebrate.
“It took extreme tenacity and a lot of forgiveness on a lot of people’s parts to get where we are today,” Wendell Scott Jr. said after the induction ceremonies, recounting how he and his siblings balanced school work with mechanical savvy on his father’s cars as a youngster. “This tonight is about we’re in the NASCAR Hall of Fame, and Daddy was the one that convinced us that this would happen.”
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Wendell Scott Jr. was credited with three starts as a driver in the former NASCAR Grand National East Series during the 1973 season. Campaigning the No. 34 that his father raced with, he scored a best finish of 13th place at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway that November.
“My dad gave me the opportunity to race a few times, and that was my goal, to win a race,” Scott Jr. said in 2013. “And I discovered that when I tried to win a race from a historical perspective, I did worse. When they put that helmet on you, you jump in the car – in the old days, they’d pound on the hood. That meant you were on your own. That’s when you’ve got to become a racer and don’t rob yourself of the opportunity to enjoy the moment.”
Wendell Scott made 495 starts in the NASCAR Cup Series from 1961-73. NASCAR officials corrected a historical wrong last season, presenting a replica of the race winner’s trophy from that 1963 Jacksonville event to Scott’s family – something race promoters refused to do on that day – at Daytona International Speedway.
Wendell Scott died in 1990. He would have turned 100 years old in 2021. His legacy is kept alive by the Wendell Scott Foundation, which provides youth services and educational assistance for children. The non-profit also has plans for a museum honoring Scott’s racing career in the former Woolworth Building in downtown Danville.