Wendell Oliver Scott (August 29, 1921 – December 23, 1990) was an American stock car racing driver. He was one of the first African-American drivers in NASCAR and the first African-American to win a race in the Grand National Series, NASCAR’s highest level.
Scott began his racing career in local circuits and obtained his NASCAR license in around 1953, making him the first African-American ever to compete in NASCAR.[1] He debuted in the Grand National Series on March 4, 1961, in Spartanburg, South Carolina.[2] On December 1, 1963, he won a Grand National Series race at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first black driver to win a race at NASCAR’s premier level.[3] Scott’s career was repeatedly affected by racial prejudice and problems with top-level NASCAR officials. He was posthumously inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015.[4][5]
