NASCAR gives Wendell Scott’s family his 1963 race trophy

DAYTONA Beach front, Fla. — Wendell Scott’s grandson stood on his tippy toes, leaned in excess of and kissed the trophy that was nearly 60 a long time in the earning.

NASCAR introduced Scott’s loved ones a personalized trophy commemorating his historic 1963 victory prior to Saturday’s Cup Collection race at Daytona Worldwide Speedway. Scott was the very first and stays the only Black driver to gain a race at NASCAR’s major level.

NASCAR President Steve Phelps gave Scott’s son, Frank Scott, the trophy on phase next a pre-race live performance and just just before driver introductions. Driver Bubba Wallace, NASCAR’s lone comprehensive-time Black driver, joined several of Scott’s loved ones customers on phase for the ceremony.

As they began to leave the dais, Warrick Scott got his likelihood to pose with the trophy. In its place of keeping or hoisting it, he decided to kiss it. It was perhaps the most telling scene of what this meant to the loved ones.

Wendell Scott passed Richard Petty with 25 laps remaining at Speedway Park in Jacksonville on Dec. one, 1963, in the Jacksonville 200. But Buck Baker, who basically concluded next, was declared the winner and acquired the trophy in victory lane.

Race officers identified hrs later that Scott was the genuine winner and experienced lapped the full subject twice. But he was not credited with the victory for yet another two a long time, and his loved ones has very long pushed for a appropriate celebration.

“It issues due to the fact my father acquired it and it was a little something he experienced to labor on,” Frank Scott claimed. “He often desired to get his trophy and he predicted that he would get his trophy a single working day. He claimed, ‘I may well not be listed here with you all, but a single working day I’ll get my trophy.’”

Scott retired due to the fact of accidents experienced in a 1973 crash at Talladega Superspeedway, and the Danville, Virginia, indigenous died in 1990 of spinal most cancers.

He was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, two a long time following the town of Danville awarded Scott a historical marker. The assertion on the marker praises Scott for “persevering in excess of prejudice and discrimination, Scott broke racial obstacles in NASCAR.” In a 13-12 months occupation, Scott notched 20 major-five finishes.

NASCAR picked the frequent-season finale for the presentation due to the fact of its proximity to Jacksonville and due to the fact it will come a single working day just before what would have been Scott’s one hundredth birthday.

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