NASCAR Hall of Fame Finalist 5th Class - Wendell Scott, Driver/Owner

SEE ALSO: Complete List Of Finalists - Includes Official NASCAR Bio's and Pictures

(b. 08/29/21 – d. 12/23/90)
Hometown: Danville, Virginia
Competed: 1961-1973
Starts: 495
Wins: 1
Poles: 1

Wendell Scott wasn’t the first African-American to compete in NASCAR’s premier division. But the Danville, Va. native, whose career on wheels began as a taxi driver, was the first of his race to become a full-time competitor in the series.

Scott served three years in the U.S. Army during World War II where he honed his mechanical skills in the motor pool.  Scott started racing in 1947 and experienced immediate success behind the wheel. He won over 100 races in the next decade at local area tracks.

Scott made his first start in NASCAR’s premier series March 4, 1961 at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds in Spartanburg, S.C. He made 23 starts that season, posting five top-five finishes.

On Dec. 1, 1963 at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Fla., Scott became the first African-American to win a NASCAR premier series event. Scott won the 100-mile feature race after starting 15th.

Over the next 13 years, Scott would make 495 starts, which ranks 32nd on the all-time list.  In his distinguished career, Scott accumulated 20 top-five finishes including eight of them in the same season he won his first career race, 1964. Scott also posted 147 top-10 finishes, more than 25 percent of the races he entered.