Taking diversity for a spin around the track.

Why is diversity a big deal to Brian France, chairman and CEO of the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing? In the 55-year history of this Southern sport--with its good ol' boys fan club and confederate-flag-waving members--we can't think of a single year when NASCAR actually embraced African Americans. It offered no assistance to Julius Erving or Jackie Joyner-Kersee when they tried to build a team back in the day.

With its new diversity push, is NASCAR serious about attracting African Americans to the sport? We sent our Lifestyle Editor Sonia Alleyne and writer and Witcher to find out. All they got was the standard press release stating that France wanted to build a minority fan base. We doubt it's that simple. Our guess is that France and his team of executives are trying to duplicate what we call the "Woods-Williams Effect." They want an African American to do for NASCAR what Tiger Woods and the Williams sisters did for golf and tennis. France knows that having someone like Tiger or Venus and Serena in NASCAR will mean more money--and lots of it--as well as more sponsors contributing to the circuit. NASCAR is looking for someone who can energize the sport.

The problem is the approach NASCAR is taking to attract minority participation. France is looking for the next Tiger of NASCAR instead of developing him. While Bill Lester is the most visible black driver in the circuit, as Alleyne points out, his experience with NASCAR isn't as extensive as many of the other white drivers. The organization is looking for ready-made minority drivers; unfortunately, these drivers typically don't have the experience to make it work. Using this method to recruit minorities will ultimately fail because NASCAR isn't putting enough resources toward developing young drivers in the sport of racing. Tiger dominates today because he started golfing at an early age. Venus and Serena excel because they started playing tennis when they were children. By the time they became pros, they had more than a decade of experience. If NASCAR wants the "Woods-Williams Effect," it has to look for young people and start training them. That's how white drivers make it. Take 29-year-old Dale Earnhardt Jr., for instance, who won this year's Daytona 500. Earnhardt grew up within the NASCAR culture, emerging from the shadow of his legendary father, Dale Earnhardt Sr., who was killed three years ago in a crash near the finish of the Daytona 500. If NASCAR wants African American drivers of the same caliber as the Earnhardts, resources are needed; young drivers must be cultivated, and we discovered that this isn't happening. Until NASCAR's diversity initiative becomes visibly successful, auto racing will remain a second-tier sport.

We're confident that there is a young person out there waiting to emerge as the Tiger Woods of NASCAR. But will NASCAR be ready for him when it's his time to compete?

--The Editors