The NASCAR Driver Development Program (formerly known as Drive for Diversity / D4D) program is a development system instituted by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...

league

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

. The program's purpose is to attract

minority Minority may refer to: Politics * Minority government, formed when a political party does not have a majority of overall seats in parliament * Minority leader, in American politics, the floor leader of the second largest caucus in a legislative b ...

and

female An organism's sex is female ( symbol: ♀) if it produces the ovum (egg cell), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete (sperm cell) during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females and ...

individuals to the sport, primarily as drivers, but also including ownership, sponsorship, and crew member roles, and to attract a more diverse audience to the sport. Before an applicant is accepted into the program, their resumes are checked by NASCAR officials. The system is similar to a

driver development program A driver development program, also known as a driver development team or driver academy, is a system or structure designed to identify and develop talent in auto racing. Programs are typically offered to drivers aged 12 to 25 in junior racing cat ...

where applicants progress through minor-league and regional racing levels to prepare them for a possible shot at one of NASCAR's three national series. The program was started during the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

season by NASCAR marketing executives in order to attract female and minority fans and drivers to the historically

white White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

and male-dominated sport. The year before,

Joe Gibbs Racing Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is an American professional stock car racing organization founded by Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs. His son, J. D. Gibbs, ran the team with him until his death in 2019. Founded in Huntersville, North Carolina, ...

, along with former athletes

Reggie White Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football defensive end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons. White played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, ear ...

and

Magic Johnson Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. (born August 14, 1959) is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. Often regarded as the greatest point guard of all time, Johnson List of NBA players who have spent their entire career w ...

, had started a similar program. NASCAR changed the name of the program to the "Driver Development Program" in 2025.

History and structure

Context

Several factors have been attributed to the absence of minorities in stock car racing. One is the costs of auto racing and dependency on sponsorship dollars, with many minority individuals and families lacking the capital to enter the inherently expensive racing world. Others believe that minority youths are more drawn to conventional "stick-and-ball" sports such as

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

. A key factor is the overt racism in the country that had plagued other sports as well, but was particularly strong in American

stock car racing Stock car racing is a form of Auto racing, automobile racing run on oval track racing, oval tracks and road courses. It originally used Production vehicle, production-model cars, hence the name "stock car", but is now run using cars specifical ...

due to its roots in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

. This included the presence of

Confederate flag The flags of the Confederate States of America have a history of three successive designs during the American Civil War. The flags were known as the "Stars and Bars", used from 1861 to 1863; the "Stainless Banner", used from 1863 to 1865; and ...

s in the infields of many tracks at both the regional and national levels. For these reasons, NASCAR has been slower to racially integrate than other major sports in the country. In spite of the lack of minorities and women in the sport, some claim that on paper NASCAR provides a more-balanced playing field than other sports. The first and most notable

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

driver in the sport is

Wendell Scott Wendell Oliver Scott Sr. (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was the first African-American driver and team owner to compete and win in all divisions of NASCAR at its highest level. Scott began his ...

, a former bootlegger who broke the color barrier in the 1950s and raced competitively in inferior equipment and with sub-par support, while contending with discrimination and threats from fans and other drivers. Scott's only win at the Cup Series level came at Jacksonville Speedway Park in 1963. The win and the trophy was initially given to

Buck Baker Elzie Wylie Baker Sr. (March 4, 1919 – April 14, 2002), better known as Buck Baker, was an American stock car racing, stock car racer. Born in Richburg, South Carolina, Richburg, South Carolina, Baker began his NASCAR career in 1949 and won his ...

, and Scott did not receive official recognition until a month later, when he was given a small wooden trophy with no nameplate. Only seven black drivers have ever competed at NASCAR's top level, most notably Scott,

Bubba Wallace William Darrell "Bubba" Wallace Jr. (born October 8, 1993) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 23 Toyota Camry XSE for 23XI Racing. Wallace was previously a dev ...

, and Willy T. Ribbs. In 2019, Driver Lacy Kuehl, age 12, was the youngest ever signed youth development driver. NASCAR gave Kuehl the Young racer award at NASCAR's Hall of Fame in Charlotte. Kuehl raced in the 2019 Summer Bojangels Shootout and 5 other races, including Atlanta Speedway. Female drivers have been equally scarce within auto racing. Although there was a time when women were banned from entering the pit area during races, there has been no official legislation preventing women from participating during most of

's history.

Sara Christian Sara Williams Christian (August 25, 1918 – March 7, 1980) was the first female driver in NASCAR history. Driving career Christian raced at the Looper Speedway, the former racetrack which now lies beneath the waters of Lake Lanier. She won ...

drove in the inaugural Cup Series (then Strictly Stock) race at

Charlotte Speedway Charlotte Speedway was the site of NASCAR's first Strictly Stock Series (now NASCAR Cup Series) race on June 19, 1949. The Daytona Beach Road Course held the first race sanctioned by NASCAR in 1948. The track was a few miles west of the NASCAR ...

in 1949, and is the only woman in Cup Series history to score a top five finish. The most notable woman in the sport was

Janet Guthrie Janet Guthrie (born March 7, 1938) is an American former racing driver. She is the first female to qualify and race in either the Indianapolis 500, or the Daytona 500, both of which she competed in during 1977. She had first attempted to enter th ...

, the first woman to compete in both the

Daytona 500 The Daytona 500 is a NASCAR Cup Series motor race held annually at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. It is the first of two Cup races held every year at Daytona, the second being the Coke Zero Sugar 400, and one of three ...

and

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly shortened to Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indian ...

. Guthrie scored five top tens over 33 career starts in NASCAR's top three series. Another notable driver was

Louise Smith Louise Smith (July 31, 1916, in Barnesville, Georgia – April 15, 2006) was tied for the second woman to race in NASCAR at the top level. She was known as "the first lady of racing." She went as a spectator to her first NASCAR race at the Dayt ...

, known as "the first lady of racing". Smith made 11 starts in what is now the Cup Series, and was used to promote the sport in the 1940s by NASCAR founder

Bill France, Sr. William Henry Getty France (September 26, 1909 – June 7, 1992) was an American businessman and racing driver. He was also known as Bill France Sr. or Big Bill. He is best known for founding and managing NASCAR, a sanctioning body of US-based s ...

A total of 15 women have made starts in the Cup Series.

Origins

In 1999, manufacturer

Dodge Dodge is an American brand of automobiles and a division of Stellantis, based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. Dodge vehicles have historically included performance cars, and for much of its existence, Dodge was Chrysler's mid-priced brand above P ...

began a diversity program, selecting Mexican driver Carlos Contreras to drive a Dodge Ram for

Petty Enterprises Petty Enterprises (formerly Lee Petty Engineering) was a NASCAR racing team based in Level Cross, Randolph County, North Carolina, Level Cross, North Carolina, United States, USA. It was founded by Lee Petty with his two sons Richard Petty and Ma ...

in the

Craftsman Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock car racing, s ...

. In December 2000, Dodge announced that veteran

driver Willy T. Ribbs would drive in the Truck Series for the full 2001 season in a factory-backed effort for

Bobby Hamilton Racing Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is a disbanded NASCAR racing team. It was owned by four-time Winston Cup winner and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton until his death on January 7, 2007. Bobby Hamilton Jr. was given owners ...

. Ribbs, who had made starts in the

Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

Indy Car IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis 5 ...

and

Champ Car Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., a Governing body, sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing T ...

, was part of the continued diversity effort by Dodge (reentering Cup competition for 2001), selected from a test program that included

Bill Lester William Alexander Lester III (born February 6, 1961) is an American semi-retired professional racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, driving the No. 17 Ford F-150 for David Gilliland Racing. Lester pre ...

and Tim Woods. Ribbs ran 23 out of 24 races in the 8 Dodge Motorsports Ram truck (DNQing at Martinsville), finishing 16th in points but with no top 10 finishes. Lester ran 5 races in BHR's 4 truck with a best finish of 18th, then replaced Ribbs in the 8 truck for the 2002 and 2003 seasons, scoring a pole at Charlotte in 2003 and finishing 17th and 14th in points in the two seasons respectively. He would leave BHR after 2003 due to lack of sponsorship. Female driver

Deborah Renshaw Deborah Renshaw-Parker (born October 28, 1975) is an American former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver. Background and family life Renshaw grew up in Bowling Green, Kentucky and has two brothers. She raced and drove in several types of motor ...

moved into BHR's 8 truck in 2005, finishing 24th in points.

Erin Crocker Erin Mary Crocker Evernham (born March 23, 1981) is an American race car driver and broadcaster with the Motor Racing Network's Winged Nation. In the past, she played soccer, tennis, and varsity lacrosse on both her high school and college teams. ...

also ran two races for BHR in 2005, before moving on to

Evernham Motorsports Evernham Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing organization that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 2000 by former Hendrick Motorsports crew chief Ray Evernham, entering full-time competition as a two-c ...

in 2006 and 2007. In 2003,

partnered with former

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

player

to start a team that would assist minority drivers in rising up the ranks of the Motorsports world. In 2004, the team came into form with assistance of Gibbs' Cup and

Busch Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

NASCAR involvement

The NASCAR-based program was conceived in the 1990s, officially implemented in 2004 by

chairman

Brian France Brian Zachary France (born August 2, 1962) is an American businessman and the former Chief executive officer, CEO and Chair (official), chairman of NASCAR. He served in the post from 2003 to 2018, following his grandfather (and NASCAR co-founder) ...

, and based largely off input from White and

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

star Brad Daugherty. D4D was one of several programs instigated to increase viewership and audience diversity as well as provide income for the sport, along with the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup and series in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. NASCAR hired Access Marketing & Communications, a company started with money from NASCAR given to the

Rainbow/PUSH Rainbow/PUSH is a Chicago-based nonprofit organization formed as a merger of two nonprofit organizations founded by Jesse Jackson; Operation PUSH (People United to Save Humanity) and the National Rainbow Coalition. The organizations pursue socia ...

initiative of Rev.

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American Civil rights movements, civil rights activist, Politics of the United States, politician, and ordained Baptist minister. Beginning as a ...

, to find drivers, conduct a testing combine, and set the drivers up with owners who would receive stipends to fund competitive rides at short tracks in the Dodge Weekly Racing Series. The first Drive for Diversity combine, featuring 12 drivers and 28 pit crew members, was held in January 2004 at

Hickory Motor Speedway Hickory Motor Speedway is a short track located in Hickory, North Carolina. It is one of stock car racing's most storied venues, and is often referred to as the "World's Most Famous Short Track" and the "Birthplace of the NASCAR Stars". The t ...

North Carolina North Carolina ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, South Carolina to the south, Georgia (U.S. stat ...

, with five drivers and six crew members selected. After two seasons, several reports surfaced of teams not receiving adequate funds, while other teams owners did not supplement the NASCAR investment with additional funds, leading to limited results on the track. Another shortcoming of the early D4D classes was the age of the participants, as many of the drivers (such as Morty Buckles and Reggie Primus) were over the age of 30 and past their prime. Due to the lackluster performance, NASCAR cut ties with Access Marketing after 2008 and proceeded to hire

Max Siegel Max Siegel (born December 31, 1964) is an American corporate CEO, entertainment executive, attorney, and activist. He is the current Chief Executive Officer of USA Track & Field (USATF), the national governing body of Athletics in the United St ...

(music executive and former president of Dale Earnhardt, Inc.) to revamp the program. In its current state, the program accepts around 6–10 drivers. 20 or so prospective drivers between the ages of 14 and 26 are invited to a testing combine, in which

evaluates each driver's résumé, on-track lap-times, driving knowledge, physical fitness, communications skills, and media aptitude. Siegel meanwhile started the

Rev Racing Rev Racing, short for Revolution Racing, is an auto racing team competing at the regional level of NASCAR. Owned by former Dale Earnhardt, Inc. president Max Siegel, the team primarily fields participants in the Drive for Diversity, an initiat ...

team in 2009 to train the selected drivers in an academy-like setting, with drivers being fielded in the Weekly Series (now the

Whelen All-American Series The NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series (formerly the Whelen All-American Series, Winston Racing Series and the Dodge Weekly Series) is a points championship for NASCAR-sanctioned local short-track motor racing in the United States and Canad ...

) or the touring

K&N Pro Series East The ARCA Menards Series East (formerly known by other names) is a regional stock car racing series owned and operated by the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). Races are h ...

and

West West is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some Romance langu ...

. In addition to investing $3 million in the program, Siegel himself is also responsible for finding sponsorship for the drivers. Since the inception of the current program, Rev Racing has been fielding competitive rides with funding from companies such as

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

Nike, Inc. Nike, Inc. (stylized as ''NIKE'') is an American athletic footwear and apparel corporation headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon. It is the world's largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and a major manufacturer of sports equipment, ...

, and

Sunoco Sunoco LP is an American master limited partnership organized under Delaware General Corporation Law, Delaware state law and headquartered in Dallas, Texas. Dating back to 1886, the company has transformed from a vertically integrated energy ...

and have had several drivers move on to the national series. The Drive for Diversity also includes a pit crew development program to identify and develop minority and female pit crew members. Like Cup Series teams, the program seeks out former competitive athletes (high school and college), then puts them through a combine which includes conventional drills and racing-specific drills. According to Siegel, the pit crew program has a 100 percent placement rate throughout NASCAR.

Controversies

In November 2023, America First Legal, an organization founded and led by Stephen Miller, a former Senior Advisor to President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

(and future

Homeland Security Advisor The assistant to the president for homeland security, commonly referred to as the Homeland Security Advisor, is a senior aide in the National Security Council, based in the West Wing of the White House, who serves as principal advisor to the pres ...

and

White House Deputy Chief of Staff The White House Deputy Chief of Staff is officially the top aide to the White House Chief of Staff, White House chief of staff, who is the senior aide to the president of the United States. The deputy chief of staff usually has an office in the Wh ...

for Policy in Trump's second term), filed a petition to the

United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a federal agency that was established via the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to administer and enforce civil rights laws against workplace discrimination. The EEOC investigates discrimination ...

to investigate NASCAR and Rev Racing for the program leading to "illegal discrimination against white, male Americans." in violation of the Title VII of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and United States labor law, labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on Race (human categorization), race, Person of color, color, religion, sex, and nationa ...

Impact on NASCAR

Kyle Larson Rev Racing Toyota Rockingham 2012

The overall impact of the D4D program and NASCAR's diversification efforts have been minimal, as the drivers from the program (in spite of their success at the regional level) are often starved of opportunities and sponsorship dollars once they graduate from the program.

ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...

analyst, team owner, and former

all-star Brad Daugherty acknowledges some progress, claiming the sport is "more inviting than it was n the past" But he also believes "owners are a little scared...Corporate America just isn't ready to take a lot of chances with their dollars on a non-known entity." Several drivers had left the program early in its history, citing issues with the equipment and resources provided to them. Some state that the absence of funding is systematic across the sport, with many young drivers' careers being stalled out before they make it to a higher level or a more competitive ride. Into the 2010s, the diversity program's impact appears to be increasing, with one of the biggest problems being the continued perception of

as an all-white and non-inclusive institution. Max Siegel stated that "the biggest barrier in diversifying audience is the perception," with D4D driver Dylan Smith noting that "people associate NASCAR so much with racism." NASCAR spokesperson Marcus Jadotte believes that the NASCAR fan base will broaden as more minorities and women move up through the sport's ranks. Some drivers, such as former

Hendrick Motorsports Hendrick Motorsports is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team was founded in 1984 as All-Star Racing by Rick Hendrick. Hendrick Motorsports has won a NASCAR-record 316 Cup Series ra ...

and

Rusty Wallace Racing Rusty Wallace Racing, LLC (RWR), formerly known as Rusty Wallace, Inc. (RWI) was a NASCAR racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near Charlotte. Owned by former NASCAR Winston Cup champion and commentator Rusty Wallace, the team compe ...

development driver

Chase Austin Chase Austin (born October 3, 1989) is an American professional racing driver. He is a former development driver with Hendrick Motorsports and Rusty Wallace Racing, racing in NASCAR's Nationwide and Camping World Truck Series. He also competed in ...

, have refused to join the D4D due to the possible stigma of

affirmative action Affirmative action (also sometimes called reservations, alternative access, positive discrimination or positive action in various countries' laws and policies) refers to a set of policies and practices within a government or organization seeking ...

. Any impact still pales in comparison to other auto racing series, with the mixed

Lewis Hamilton Sir Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton (born 7 January 1985) is a British racing driver who competes in Formula One for Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari. Hamilton has won a joint-record seven Formula One World Drivers' Championship titles—tied with M ...

winning seven

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

world championships since 2008,

Antron Brown Antron Brown (born March 1, 1976) is an American drag racing driver, currently driving the Matco Tools Top Fuel dragster for AB Motorsports in the NHRA Camping World Drag Racing Series. Brown is the first African American champion in drag racin ...

winning the 2012

NHRA The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) is a governing body which sets rules in drag racing and hosts events all over the United States and Canada. With over 40,000 drivers in its rosters, the NHRA claims to be the largest motorsport sanction ...

Top Fuel Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.641 second ...

championship, sisters

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsċ'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

, Courtney and

Brittany Force Brittany Leighton Force (born July 8, 1986) is an American NHRA drag racer and 2-time NHRA Drag Racing Series Top Fuel dragster champion. She is the daughter of drag racer John Force and the sister of fellow racers Courtney Force and Ashley Forc ...

running competitively in the NHRA's Funny Car and

divisions, and several female drivers competing simultaneously at

IndyCar IndyCar, LLC (stylized as INDYCAR), is an auto racing sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. The organization sanctions two racing series: the premier IndyCar Series with the Indianapolis ...

's top level.

Graduates

The most successful driver to go through the program is arguably

Kyle Larson Kyle Miyata Larson (born July 31, 1992) is an American professional racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 5 Chevrolet ZL1 for Hendrick Motorsports, part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. ...

, a 2012 graduate who is considered one of the most talented young drivers in the sport. Former Cup champion

Dale Jarrett Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is an American former race car driver and current racing commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series ...

compared Larson's talents to 4-time champion

Jeff Gordon Jeffery Michael Gordon (born August 4, 1971) is an American stock car racing executive and former professional stock car racing driver who currently serves as the vice chairman of Hendrick Motorsports. He raced full-time from 1993 to 2015, d ...

, and Gordon himself has taken interest in the young driver. After signing a development deal with

Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization competing in the NTT IndyCar Series. They have formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, Global Rally ...

in 2012, Larson won Rookie of the Year in 2013 in the

Nationwide Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

for

Turner Scott Motorsports Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM), formerly Turner Motorsports was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, Sprint Cup Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Nationwide Series, ...

, and scored his first victory in the series in 2014. He moved up to Ganassi's No. 42

Sprint Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

car for 2014, winning the Rookie of the Year award, and earning his first win in 2016, and soon winning the championship with

in 2021. Darrell Wallace Jr., a biracial driver of

heritage, has also found success. Wallace Jr. had three top 10s in four starts for

in the

in 2012, then moved to the

Camping World Truck Series The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series is a pickup truck racing series owned and operated by the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), and is the only series in NASCAR to race production pickup truck-based stock cars. The series i ...

for

Kyle Busch Motorsports Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) is an American professional dirt racing team that competes in dirt divisions across the United States. They formerly competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, CARS Tour, CRA Super Series, A ...

in 2013. Wallace won in the Truck Series at

Martinsville Speedway Martinsville Speedway is a oval Oval track racing#Short track, short track in Ridgeway, Virginia, United States, a community of Martinsville, Virginia. The track has held a variety of events since its opening in 1947, primarily events sanctione ...

in his rookie season (only the second black driver after

to win in one of NASCAR's top three divisions). Wallace picked up four more wins in 2014 including one at the famous

Eldora Speedway Eldora Speedway (nicknamed "the Big E", "Auto Racing's Showcase Since 1954," and "the World's Greatest Dirt Track") is a high-banked Dirt track racing, clay dirt oval. Located north of Rossburg, Ohio in the village of New Weston, Ohio, its websit ...

dirt track. Wallace signed to drive in the

Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

for

Roush Fenway Racing Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, doing business as RFK Racing, is an American professional stock car organization that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of NASCAR's largest racing teams in the 2000s and early 2010s, Roush formerly ...

in 2015. Wallace signed with

Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

team

Richard Petty Motorsports Richard Petty Motorsports (RPM) was an American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR) ...

in 2018. He currently drives for 23II, co-owned by Michael Jordah, and finished Top 10 in the Cup standings in 2023. Wallace's career had historically been hampered at the national level by a lack of consistent corporate sponsorship, but that is currently not the case. Daniel Suarez 2016 Road America

Another JGR driver, Mexican-born

Daniel Suárez Daniel Alejandro Suárez Garza (born January 7, 1992) is a Mexican-American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 99 Chevrolet ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing and part-time in the NASCAR ...

, a winner in the

and

NASCAR Toyota Series The NASCAR Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Corona Series and other names) is a national NASCAR-sanctioned racing series in Mexico. It is the most prestigious stock car racing series in the country. Origins (Desafío Corona) The Desafío Corona ...

, was signed to a full-time

ride for the 2015 season, becoming the first full-time driver of Latino descent to run the full season in the series. Suárez won his first Xfinity Series race at Michigan in 2016, becoming the first Mexican-born driver to win in the series. Suárez went on to win the

2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series file:19 Daniel Suarez 2016 Road America 180.jpg, Toyota won the Manufacturers' championship with 19 wins and 1362 points. The 2016 NASCAR Xfinity Series was the 35th season of the NASCAR Xfinity Series, the second-tier professional stock car ...

championship, becoming the first foreign-born driver to win a NASCAR national series championship. Suárez moved to the

with JGR in 2017. and moved to Stewart-Haas Racing in 2019. He currently drives for Trackhouse. Other drivers from the program, however, have had their careers stall out after "graduating" from the program. This includes

Paulie Harraka Paul Peter Harraka (born September 15, 1989) is an American former professional stock car racing driver and entrepreneur. He is a graduate of Duke University and a former representative of NASCAR's Drive for Diversity program. Personal life Harr ...

, who scored the program's first three wins, and Marc Davis who left

after they could not find sponsorship for him in the

Other drivers

Outside of the program, minority and female drivers continue to be scarce on the NASCAR scene.

Cuban-American Cuban Americans ( or ) are Americans who immigrated from or are descended from immigrants from Cuba. As of 2023, Cuban Americans were the fourth largest Hispanic and Latino Americans, Hispanic and Latino American group in the United States aft ...

driver

, a member of

's original diversity program, currently drives full-time in Stewart-Haas Racing' 10 car in the

. Almirola is considered one of the most successful products of any diversity initiative within the sport, as well as the highest profile Latino driver in NASCAR, with three wins to his name. Leaving JGR in mid-2007 with one win in the

, Almirola drove

Ginn Racing MB2 Motorsports was a NASCAR Cup Series team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near the sport's hub in Charlotte. The team was founded by Read Morton, Tom Beard, and Nelson Bowers, from which the original team name derived. Bowers was the l ...

's 01 car and

Earnhardt Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing, LLC (CGR), also sometimes branded as Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, is an American auto racing organization competing in the NTT IndyCar Series. They have formerly competed in the NASCAR Cup and Xfinity Series, Global Rallycro ...

's 8 car in the Sprint Cup Series until losing his ride due to lack of sponsorship in 2009. After reclaiming his career with

Billy Ballew Motorsports Billy Ballew Motorsports was a team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. They were formed in 1996 by Georgia businessman Billy Ballew. The team's car numbers are 09, 15, and 51. Fasscore Motorsports In 2003, Ballew began runn ...

in the truck series and

JR Motorsports JR Motorsports (pronounced "Junior Motorsports") is an American professional stock car racing team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, co-owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kelley Earnhardt Miller, L. W. Miller, L.W. Miller, and Rick Hendrick. It c ...

in the

, Almirola was signed to drive for RPM in 2012, winning at

Daytona International Speedway Daytona International Speedway is a race track in Daytona Beach, Florida, Daytona Beach, Florida, United States, about north of Orlando, Florida, Orlando. Since opening in 1959, it has been the home of the Daytona 500, the most prestigious race ...

in July 2014. Danica Patrick 7 2012 Road America Sargento 200

Former

IndyCar Series The IndyCar Series, officially known as the NTT IndyCar Series for sponsorship reasons, is the highest class of American open-wheel car racing in the United States, which has been conducted under the auspices of various sanctioning bodies sinc ...

racer

Danica Patrick Danica Sue Patrick (; born March 25, 1982) is an American former professional racing driver and model. She is the most successful woman in the history of American open-wheel car racing—her victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300 is the only win ...

drove for Stewart-Haas Racing in their No. 10

Chevrolet SS The Holden Commodore (VF) is a full-size car that was produced by Holden between June 2013 and October 2017. It was the second and last significantly restyled iteration of the fourth (and final) generation of the Holden Commodore to be manufac ...

, from 2012 - 2017, joined by her longtime partner

Go Daddy GoDaddy Inc. is an American publicly traded Internet domain registry, domain registrar and web hosting company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona, and incorporated in Delaware. GoDaddy is the world's fifth largest web host by market share, with ove ...

. She is the first female Cup driver to be signed to a full season contract. A winner in IRL competition, Patrick also drove for

in the

ARCA Racing Series The ARCA Menards Series is an American stock car series, the premier division of the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). It is considered a minor, semi-professional league of stock car racing, used as a feeder series into the three nationa ...

and

before signing with Stewart-Haas in 2012, and going full-time in the Cup series for 2013. Patrick is the first woman to win the pole for the

, and the first rookie to win the pole since

Jimmie Johnson Jimmie Kenneth Johnson (born September 17, 1975) is an American professional auto racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series, driving the No. 84 Toyota Camry XSE for Legacy Motor Club. Johnson has won seven Cup ch ...

in 2002. Patrick also ran the fastest pole speed for the 500 in 23 years, timing in at 45.817 seconds.

Jennifer Jo Cobb Jennifer Jo Cobb (born June 12, 1973) is an American professional stock car racing driver and team owner. She competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 10 truck for her own team, Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing. She has als ...

is one of few female drivers other than Patrick to run full-time in the three top touring series in recent memory. Cobb made her debut in the

in 2004, and currently drives in the

. Cobb is not only a full-time driver, but also the owner of her No. 10 truck for

Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing (also known as JJC Racing) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team is based in Mooresville, North Carolina and is owned by Jennife ...

, which is a successor to

Circle Bar Racing Circle Bar Racing was an auto racing team that competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series from 1997 to 2010. The team was most notable for its relationship with Ford Motor Company as well as its long-time driver, Rick Crawford. Beginnings ...

and

ppc Racing ppc Racing is a former NASCAR team based in Mooresville, North Carolina. The team was owned by Greg Pollex. ppc Racing came about from a merger of Pollex's Busch Series team with a car owned by Steve DeSouza and Ted Campbell in 1999. The te ...

. The team also runs a second No. 0 truck as a

start and park Start and park is a term used in auto racing, particularly in NASCAR-sanctioned races, to describe the practice of racing teams starting races but pulling the car off the track after just a few laps in order to collect prize money while avoiding e ...

entry, though it attempted to run the full race at

in 2013 and 2014 with Jennifer Jo's father

Joe Cobb Joe Frank Cobb (November 7, 1916 – May 21, 2002) was an American child actor, most notable for appearing as the original "fat boy" in the ''Our Gang'' comedies from 1922 to 1929. Early life and career Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, on Novemb ...

. Though the team runs full-time, lack of funding and second-hand equipment (often running old Dodge Rams without factory support) often results in back-of-the-pack finishes for Cobb. Drafting

Colombian-born

Juan Pablo Montoya Juan Pablo Montoya Roldán (; born 20 September 1975) is a Colombian racing driver, who competed in Formula One from to , IndyCar between 1999 and 2022, and the NASCAR Cup Series between 2006 and 2024. Montoya won seven Formula One Grand ...

, a winner in

CART A cart or dray (Australia and New Zealand) is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by draught animals such as horses, donkeys, mules and oxen, or even smaller animals such as goats or large dogs. A handcart ...

and

Formula 1 Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

and the

2000 Indianapolis 500 The 84th Indianapolis 500 was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana on Sunday, May 28, 2000. The race was sanctioned by the Indy Racing League, and was part of the 2000 Indy Racing Northern Lights Series season. After fou ...

winner, began running full-time in the

with

in 2007. Juan scored two victories in his career (both coming at road course races), and came close to winning at oval tracks on several occasions. In spite of this, he finished in the top 10 in points only once and departed from full-time NASCAR competition after 2013. Another former open-wheel driver, Brazilian Nelson Piquet Jr. scored two victories in the Truck Series and one in a part-time Nationwide season, but struggled in his first full Nationwide season in 2013 and was released from

. Piquet Jr. would make his Cup debut in 2014. Other Latino former open-wheel drivers to run in

include

Michel Jourdain Jr. Michel Jourdain Lascurain, better known as Michel Jourdain Jr. (born September 2, 1976), is a Mexican racecar driver, best known for winning two Champ Car races in 2003. He is the 2020 Super Copa GTM Champion. Formula racing Jourdain started ra ...

and

Adrián Fernández Adrián Fernández Mier (born April 20, 1963) is a Mexican former professional race car driver and co-owner of the Fernandez Racing team. Racing career Early career Fernández was born in Mexico City and began his career in Mexico at the age ...

, who ran

schedules with

and

respectively. From 2000 to 2007, African American driver

was a mainstay in the truck series, driving for

Bill Davis Racing Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009. The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in the Camping World Truck Series (Toyota Tundra) since 2004 and Sprint Cup Series ( T ...

, and

. Lester was a part of

's and BHR's diversity initiative before signing with Davis on talent alone in 2004, and was notable for his strong qualifying efforts. Lester also made two starts for Davis in the Cup Series, the first African American racer in the series since Willy T. Ribbs. Mexican-born Carlos Contreras has also found longevity in the Nationwide and Truck Series, but has only run three full schedules in his career (and none since 2002), with only 5 top 10s to his credit.

NASCAR internationally

German Quiroga Red Horse Racing Toyota Rockingham 2013

While diversity within NASCAR's top ranks may be slow, the sports' international influence has grown in the 21st century. Following successful

races at the road courses

Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez The Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is a motorsport race track in Mexico City, Mexico, named after the racing drivers Ricardo Rodríguez (1942–1962) and Pedro Rodríguez (1940–1971). The circuit got its current name in 1979 after Ricardo ...

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

and

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, also spelled ''Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve'' (), is a motor racing Race track, circuit on Notre Dame Island in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the venue for the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA Form ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

, the

(formerly the Corona Series) and

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series The NASCAR Canada Series (NCS, ) is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada, and is a continuation of the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981. It is the top NASCAR touring series in Canada. History In September 2006 NASCAR purchas ...

were created as regional series similar to the

and

. In 2009, the

NASCAR Whelen Euro Series The NASCAR Euro Series (formerly known as Racecar Euro Series, Euro-Racecar NASCAR Touring Series, and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series) is an official NASCAR stock-car racing series based in Europe. It is one of NASCAR's four international-sanctioned s ...

was inaugurated.

NASCAR Mexico NASCAR Mexico is a joint-venture between NASCAR and OCESA, a Mexican entertainment company, aiming to develop, manage and operate local motorsports events and oversee television distribution, sponsorship and licensing. The venture attempts to cre ...

has produced several talented drivers who have moved on to

's top-three touring series. These include 3-time Toyota Series champion

Germán Quiroga Germán Quiroga Jr. (born May 29, 1980) is a Mexican professional stock car racing driver. In 2011, he became the first three-time NASCAR Corona Series champion. Racing career Beginnings Quiroga began his career in Reto Neon in 1996. Corona ...

who has driven in the

for

and

Red Horse Racing Red Horse Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina. It was co-owned by former Mobil 1 marketing executive Tom DeLoach a ...

, and D4D driver and 9-time Toyota Series winner and

Champion,

, currently racing in the

NASCAR Cup Series The NASCAR Cup Series is the top racing series of the NASCAR, National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR), the most prestigious stock car racing series in the United States. The series began in 1949 as the Strictly Stock Division, ...

with

Trackhouse Racing Team Trackhouse Racing is an American motorsports organization that competes full time in the NASCAR Cup Series and Grand Prix motorcycle racing, MotoGP and part time in the IMSA SportsCar Championship. History After Leavine Family Racing announced ...

. The Canadian Series has produced

D. J. Kennington Douglas James Kennington (born July 15, 1977) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 17 Dodge Challenger for his own team DJK Racing. He won the 2010 and 201 ...

J. R. Fitzpatrick John Ryan Fitzpatrick (born May 9, 1988) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. Fitzpatrick was the youngest driver to ever win the now defunct CASCAR Super Series championship, winning in the series' final season of 2006 at the age ...

Alex Labbé Alex Labbé (born April 29, 1993) is a Canadian professional stock car racing driver. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation), Chevrolet SS for SS-Green Light Racing. He also compe ...

, and

road course ringer In NASCAR, a road course ringer, also known as road course specialist, road course expert, or a road runner, is a non-NASCAR driver who is hired by a NASCAR Cup Series or NASCAR Xfinity Series team to race specifically on road courses. , current ...

Andrew Ranger Andrew Ranger (born November 20, 1986) is a Canadian professional racing driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 27 Chevrolet for Wight Motorsports. Ranger is a veteran of the Canada Series having claimed 28 win ...

. The Euro Series has produced

Alon Day Alon Day (; born November 4, 1991) is an Israeli professional stock car racing driver. He currently competes part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the No. 25 Toyota for Venturini Motorsports. Day is the first Israeli driver to compete in a ...

Drivers

2025

The drivers in the 2025 class have not been announced yet.

2024

Source:

2023

Source:

2022

Source:

2021

Source:

2020

Source: #

Chase Cabre Chase Cabre (born February 7, 1997) is an American stock car racing driver. He last competed full-time in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, driving the No. 4 Toyota Camry for Rev Racing. Cabre started his racing career in motocross and later moved t ...

– ARCA Menards Series East #

Isabella Robusto Isabella Robusto (born November 4, 2004) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes full-time in the ARCA Menards Series, and part-time in the ARCA Menards Series East and ARCA Menards Series West, driving the No. 55 Toyota C ...

– Whelen All-American Series #

Gracie Trotter Gracie Elizabeth Trotter (born August 27, 2001) is an American stock car racing driver. She last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, driving the Nos. 15 and 25 Toyota Camrys for Venturini Motorsports. Trotter also competes for Rev Racin ...

– Whelen All-American Series #

Rajah Caruth Rajah Kirby Caruth (born June 11, 2002) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, driving the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado#Fourth-generation Silverado / fifth-generation Sierra ( ...

– Late Models #Perry Patino – Late Models #

Nick Sanchez Nicholas Anthony Sanchez (born June 10, 2001) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 48 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation), Chevrolet SS for Big Machine Racing and ...

– Late Models

2019

Source: #

– K&N Pro Series East # Ernie Francis Jr. – K&N Pro Series East # Rubén García Jr. – K&N Pro Series East #Brooke Storer – Whelen All-American Series #

– Whelen All-American Series #

– Late Models #Lacy Kuehl - INEX LEGEND CARS

2018

Source: #

– K&N Pro Series East # Ernie Francis Jr. – K&N Pro Series East # Rubén García Jr. – K&N Pro Series East #

Ryan Vargas Ryan John Vargas (born September 23, 2000) is an American professional stock car racing driver who competes full-time in the NASCAR Canada Series, driving the No. 28 Dodge Challenger for DJK Racing as well as part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, ...

– K&N Pro Series East #

– Late Models #

– Legends Cars

2017

Source: #

– K&N Pro Series East # Collin Cabre – K&N Pro Series East # Rubén García Jr. – K&N Pro Series East # Jay Beasley – K&N Pro Series East #Macy Causey – Whelen All-American Series #Madeline Crane – Whelen All-American Series

2016

Source: # Collin Cabre – K&N Pro Series East # Rubén García Jr. – K&N Pro Series East; 2015

NASCAR Mexico Series The NASCAR Mexico Series (formerly NASCAR Corona Series and other names) is a national NASCAR-sanctioned racing series in Mexico. It is the most prestigious stock car racing series in the country. Origins (Desafío Corona) The Desafío Corona ...

champion. # Jairo Avila Jr. – K&N Pro Series East # Ali Kern – K&N Pro Series East # Enrique Baca – Whelen All-American Series #Juan Garcia – Whelen All-American Series Among the drivers not selected were 2014 NASCAR Mexico Series champion Abraham Calderón, and former D4D/

drivers Dylan Smith and

Natalie Decker Natalie Marie Decker Lemke (born June 25, 1997) is an American racing driver. She last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series driving the Nos. 36 and 92 Chevrolet Camaros for DGM Racing. She was a 2015 NASCAR Drive for Diversity participa ...

2015

Source:

Kenzie Ruston Turner Scott Motorsports Chevrolet Richmond 2013

# Devon Amos – K&N Pro Series East # Jay Beasley – K&N Pro Series East # Collin Cabre – K&N Pro Series East; one win (

Dover Dover ( ) is a town and major ferry port in Kent, southeast England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies southeast of Canterbury and east of Maidstone. ...

), 10th in points. #

–

# Kenzie Ruston – K&N Pro Series East; earned highest finish for a female in a K&N Pro Series East race of 2nd in 2014 with Ben Kennedy Racing # Dylan Smith – Whelen All-American Series Among the 14 drivers not selected were 2014 NASCAR Mexico Series champion Abraham Calderón and former D4D/

driver

Paige Decker Paige Decker (born March 20, 1993) is an American professional stock car racing driver from Eagle River, Wisconsin. She has raced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and Xfinity Series and was a 2014 NASCAR Drive for Diversity participant. R ...

2014

Source: #Devon Amos #Jay Beasley – two top fives in K&N East Series #

Ryan Gifford Ryan Gifford (born March 10, 1989) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. A former development driver for Richard Childress Racing and a former member of NASCAR, NASCAR NEXT. As a NASCAR's Drive for Diversity member, he last ...

– one top five in K&N East, one Nationwide race for

Biagi-DenBeste Racing Biagi-DenBeste Racing, originally Biagi Brothers Racing, was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series in partnership with Stewart-Haas Racing. The team was based in Mooresville, North Carolina ...

(20th place in Iowa) # Sergio Pena – One K&N East win #

– Four wins in Toyota Series, two K&N East wins, two Nationwide starts, signed to drive for

in the

in 2015

2013

Source: #Annabeth Barnes #

Mackena Bell __NOTOC__ Mackena Bell (born June 9, 1990) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. She drove the No. 23 Rick Ware Racing Chevrolet for one race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2014. She was also a graduate of NASCAR Drive f ...

– K&N Pro Series East: 2 top fives, 13th in points #

– K&N Pro Series East: Win at Richmond, 11th in points; finished ninth in Iowa Nationwide race #Jack Madrid #Bryan Ortiz – K&N Pro Series East: 2 top fives, 10th in points #

– NASCAR Toyota Series (3 wins, 2nd in points), K&N East (one win, third in points)

2012

Source: # Jorge Arteaga – K&N Pro Series East – two top tens, 14th in points #

– Whelen All-American Series #Trey Gibson – Whelen All-American Series #

– K&N Pro Series East – 11th in points, two top fives, three top tens #

– K&N Pro Series East – two wins, one pole, won 2012 series championship, series Rookie of the Year; three top tens in four

events, including second at Phoenix; currently driving in the

for

# Bryan Ortiz – K&N Pro Series East, fifth in points, two top fives, nine top tens

2011

Source: # Jorge Arteaga – Whelen All-American Series #

– Whelen All-American, ran six K&N Pro Series East races #Jessica Brunelli – Whelen All-American, ran four K&N Pro Series West races in 2011 #Michael Cherry – K&N Pro Series East, 14th in points #Trey Gibson – Whelen All-American #

– K&N Pro Series East, tenth in points #Tayla Orleans – Whelen All-American # Bryan Ortiz – Whelen All-American # Sergio Pena – K&N Pro Series East – Won races at South Boston, Hampton, and Greenville-Pickens, fifth in series points # Darrell Wallace Jr. – K&N Pro Series East – Won at

Richmond International Raceway Richmond Raceway (RR) is a , ''D''-shaped, asphalt race track located just outside Richmond, Virginia in unincorporated Henrico County. It currently hosts one NASCAR Cup Series race weekend and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. It formerly h ...

, Columbus, and

Dover International Speedway Dover Motor Speedway (formerly known as the Dover International Speedway from 2002 to 2021 and as the Dover Downs International Speedway from 1969 to 2001) is a oval track in Dover, Delaware. The venue has hosted major events since its inaugu ...

; pole positions at South Boston, Loudon, and Dover, second in series points

2010

Darrell Wallace Jr Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Rockingham 2013

Source: #

– K&N Pro Series East #Jessica Brunelli – Whelen All-American Series #Michael Cherry – Whelen All-American Series #

– K&N Pro Series East – First African-American to win a pole position in series (June 6 at

) #Katie Hagar – Whelen All-American Series #

– K&N Pro Series West #Rebecca Kasten – Whelen All-American Series # Sergio Pena – K&N Pro Series East #Megan Reitenour – Whelen All-American Series #Jason Romero – Whelen All-American Series # Darrell Wallace Jr. – K&N Pro Series East – In March 2010, he won the race at

Greenville-Pickens Speedway Greenville-Pickens Speedway is a race track located in Easley, South Carolina, just west of Greenville, South Carolina. The track hosted weekly NASCAR sanctioned races. Several NASCAR touring series have raced at the track in prior years, includ ...

and became the first African-American and the youngest driver to win in the series. He also won the

Lee USA Speedway Lee USA Speedway is a Short track motor racing, short-track oval race track located in Lee, New Hampshire. History The facility opened as Lee Raceway in 1964 as a dirt tri-oval, in length. Original owner Bob Bonser later recounted that he initi ...

event in July. Overall, Wallace finished third in points and earned series Rookie of the Year honors.

2009

Source: #

# Kristin Bumbera # Michael Cherry # Jonathan Gomez # Katie Hagar #

– The first member to win a race in a NASCAR regional touring series event (

Camping World West Series The ARCA Menards Series West, formerly the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, NASCAR AutoZone West Series, NASCAR Winston West Series, NASCAR Winston Transcontinental Series and NASCAR Camping World West Series, is a regional stock car racing series ow ...

event at

Colorado National Speedway Colorado National Speedway is a paved oval in Dacono, Colorado, spanning . The track is currently a member of the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and hosts the ARCA Menards Series West (former NASCAR K&N Pro Series West), thKing of the Wi ...

in August 2009). He won the September event at

All-American Speedway All American Speedway is a NASCAR-sanctioned paved oval racetrack located in Roseville, California. The track first began operations in 1954. The track was originally a long, but was renovated before the 2008 racing season to its current lengt ...

en route to series Rookie of the Year honors and fourth in the standings. # Laura Hayes # Juan Pitts #Megan Reitenour # Natalie Sather # Jonathan Smith # Emily Sue Steck

2008

Source: #Kristin Bumbera #Michael Cherry # Michael Gallegos #

# Jesus Hernandez # Lindsey King # Lloyd Mack #Jonathan Smith

2007

Source: # Michael Gallegos #

# Jessica Helberg # Jesus Hernandez # Peter Hernandez #Lloyd Mack #Jonathan Smith

2006

Source: # Chris Bristol # Brianne Cronrath # Marc Davis # Allison Duncan #Paulie Harraka #Jessica Helberg # Jesus Hernandez – Signed to a development contract with

MB2 Motorsports MB2 Motorsports was a NASCAR Cup Series team based in Mooresville, North Carolina, near the sport's hub in Charlotte, North Carolina, Charlotte. The team was founded by Read Morton, Tom Beard, and Nelson Bowers, from which the original team name ...

. #Peter Hernandez

2005

Source:

2004

Source:

Teams involved in the Drive for Diversity

Current

Former

* Belnavis Racing – owned by then-

Roush Racing Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing, doing business as RFK Racing, is an American professional stock car organization that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. One of NASCAR's largest racing teams in the 2000s and early 2010s, Roush formerly ...

executive

Sam Belnavis Samuel Francis Belnavis Sr. (August 8, 1939 – July 14, 2021) was an American executive in automobile racing. Belnavis, an African-American, was one of a handful minorities to have owned a NASCAR racing team. He was the head of Roush Fenway Raci ...

* Bill McAnally Racing *

* FDJ Motorsports * Ginn Racing / MB2 Motorsports * Golden State Racing *

High Point Racing High may refer to: Science and technology * Height * High (atmospheric), a high-pressure area * High (computability), a quality of a Turing degree, in computability theory * High (tectonics), in geology an area where relative tectonic uplift to ...

Ken Schrader Racing Ken Schrader Racing was an American professional stock car racing team that last competed part-time in the ARCA Menards Series, fielding the No. 52 for Natalie Decker. The team was owned by longtime NASCAR driver Ken Schrader. Over the years, Sch ...

Richard Childress Racing Richard Childress Racing (RCR) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Cup Series and the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is based in Welcome, North Carolina, and is owned and operated by Richard C ...

Roadrunner Motorsports James Inglebright (born November 18, 1961) is an American professional stock car racing driver. He is a longtime competitor in the NASCAR West Series (now the ARCA Menards Series West). Racing career Inglebright began his racing career driving ...

* RTD Motorsports *

SCORE Motorsports Peak Fitness Racing is a disbanded NASCAR team. It was owned by Hermie Sadler from 2001–2004 and Jeff Stec from 2005–2006, before it was sold. The team was formed in 2001 by Hermie Sadler as SCORE Motorsports. Sadler fielded the No. 13 Chevro ...

* TW Motorsports

Minority and female-owned teams in NASCAR

Current

* B. J. McLeod Motorsports - Co-owned by Jessica Smith-McLeod *

Beard Motorsports Beard Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that competes part-time in the NASCAR Cup Series with the No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE for Anthony Alfredo. The team was created in 2009 by Mark Beard for competition in the ...

- Co-owned by Annie Beard and Linda Beard *

Hyak Motorsports Hyak Motorsports is an American stock car racing team that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. The team fields the No. 47 Chevrolet Camaro (sixth generation)#ZL1, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 full-time for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and has a technical alliance w ...

(formerly JTG-Daugherty Racing) - Co-owned by Brad Daugherty *

- Owned by

* Jesse Iwuji Motorsports - Co-owned by

Jesse Iwuji Jesse Ekene Iwuji ( ; born August 12, 1987) is an American professional stock car racing driver and officer in the United States Navy Reserve. He competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 91 Chevrolet SS for DGM Racing wit ...

and

Emmitt Smith Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15, 1969) is an American former professional football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, 13 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys and 2 seasons with the Arizona Cardinals ...

- Co-owned by

Kelley Earnhardt Miller Kelley King Earnhardt Miller (née Earnhardt; formerly Earnhardt-Elledge; born August 28, 1972) is an American businesswoman. She is the chief executive officer of JR Motorsports which she co-owns with her brother, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and she is ...

* NY Racing Team (formerly Team Xtreme Racing and Xxxtreme Motorsport) - Owned by John Cohen *

Our Motorsports Our Motorsports is an American professional stock car racing team that competes full-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, fielding the No. 5 Chevrolet Camaro SS full-time for Kris Wright. The team also previously competed part-time in the ARCA Mena ...

- Co-owned by Mary Our *

RSS Racing RSS Racing (also known as Ryan Shane Sieg Racing) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team is owned by Rod Sieg and Pamela Sieg. The team currently fields three cars: the No ...

- Co-owned by Pamela Sieg *

ThorSport Racing ThorSport Racing is an American professional stock car racing team competing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Founded in 1996 as SealMaster Racing and based in Sandusky, Ohio, the team is owned by Duke Thorson and his wife, Rhonda. Currently ...

- Co-owned by Rhonda Thorson *

23XI Racing 23XI Racing (pronounced twenty-three eleven) is an American professional auto racing organization that competes in the NASCAR Cup Series. It is owned and operated by Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Hall of Fame basketball player Michae ...

- Co-owned by

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

Former

* Angela's Motorsports *

BAM Racing BAM Racing was a NASCAR racing team based in Charlotte, North Carolina, owned by Beth Ann and Tony Morgenthau. The team began racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2000 before moving to NASCAR in 2001. They sat out 2009 due to the recession, and ...

* BelCar Racing - Co-owned by

- Founded by

Felix Sabates Feliciano Sergio "Félix" Sabates Jr. (born September 9, 1945) is a Cuban-born former entrepreneur, and philanthropist living in the United States of America. He is a partner in Chip Ganassi Racing teams, which formerly fielded teams in the NASCA ...

as Team SABCO, then co-owned the team as Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates until 2020. * Dale Earnhardt, Inc. - Operated by

Teresa Earnhardt Teresa Diane Earnhardt (née Houston; born October 29, 1958) is an American former NASCAR team owner. She is the third wife and widow of Dale Earnhardt. She is the biological mother of Taylor Nicole Earnhardt and the stepmother of Kerry Earnhardt ...

from 2001 to 2008. * Fitz Motorsports *

Hattori Racing Enterprises Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE) was a Japanese-American professional stock car racing team that competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Owned by former NASCAR and open-wheel driver Shigeaki Hattori, the team last competed part-time in the ...

- Owned by

Shigeaki Hattori was a Japanese professional race car driver and team owner based in the United States. As a driver, he competed in the CART and IndyCar Series, and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. As an owner, Hattori owned Hattori Racing Enterprises, which ...

* Hispanic Racing Team *

- Co-owned by Samantha Busch *

Liberty Racing Liberty Racing was an American auto racing team co-owned by former Cleveland Cavaliers player Brad Daugherty and owner of Liberty auto Group Jim Herrick. The team ran a single Ford in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series between 1995 and 2000. Nota ...

* Marc Davis Racing * ML Motorsports *

Obaika Racing Obaika Racing was an African professional stock car racing team. The team was owned by African entrepreneur Victor Obaika. The team competed in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team formed in early 2015 and competed full-time ...

* Randy Moss Motorsports - formerly Morgan-Dollar Motorsports *

* Smith-Ganassi Racing - Co-owned by

Evander Holyfield Evander Holyfield (born October 19, 1962) is an American former professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2011. He reigned as the undisputed championship (boxing), undisputed champion in the cruiserweight (boxing), cruiserweight division ...

* Team Paradigm * The Money Team Racing (now Team AmeriVet) - Was co-owned by

Floyd Mayweather Floyd may refer to: As a name * Floyd (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Floyd (surname), a list of people and fictional characters Places in the United States * Floyd, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Floyd, I ...

from 2019 to 2024 *

- Was co-owned by

Pitbull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, American B ...

from 2021 to 2025 * Victory Motorsports * Vizion Motorsports - Co-owned by Jennifer Brown *

Washington-Erving Motorsports Washington-Erving Motorsports is a defunct American stock car racing team. It was owned by former NFL running back Joe Washington and former NBA player Julius Erving. Washington and Erving fielded cars in the NASCAR Busch Series (now Xfinity Seri ...

References

External links

Official Website

History and structure

Context

Origins

NASCAR involvement

Controversies

Impact on NASCAR

Graduates

Other drivers

NASCAR internationally

Drivers

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

Teams involved in the Drive for Diversity

Current

Former

Minority and female-owned teams in NASCAR

Current

Former

See also

References

External links

Further reading