Nascar Diecast Collectibles

Wendell Scott is the first and only black driver to ever win a stock car race in what is today know as the Sprint Cup Series. Only six other black drivers are known to have started at least one race in what is now the Sprint Cup Series: Elias Bowie, Charlie Scott, George Wiltshire, Randy Bethea, Willy T. Ribbs and, most recently, Bill Lester, who made the field for races at Atlanta and Michigan in 2006. Those drivers have made a combined nine Cup starts. Scott was born in Danville, Virgina and earned his racing experience on the backroads of Virginia and the local race tracks and speedways of Virginia and North Carolina.

After a successful stint racing in the sportsman and hobby divisions in Virginia, Scott moved up to the Nascar Grand National division. In the 1963 season, he finished 15th in points, and on December 1 that year, driving a Chevrolet Bel Airpurchased from Ned Jarrett, he won a race on the one-mile dirt track at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida — the first and to date only top level NASCAR event won by an African-American. Scott was not announced as the winner of the race at the time, presumably due to the racist culture of the time. Buck Baker, the second-place driver, was declared the winner until NASCAR issued a correction a few days later.

He continued to be a competitive driver despite his low-budget operation through the rest of the 1960s. In 1964, Scott finished 12th in points despite missing several races. Over the next five years, Scott consistently finished in the top ten in the point standings. He finished 11th in points in 1965, was a career-high 6th in 1966, 10th in 1967, and finished 9th in both 1968 and ‘69. His top year in winnings was 1969 when he won $47,451.

He was forced to retire due to injuries from a racing accident at Talladega, Alabama in 1973. He achieved one win and 147 top ten finishes in 495 career Grand National starts.

Wendell Scott’s car has been recognized in the form of a nascar diecast collectibles.

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