Wendell Scott

[Rick Parker]

There was a 1 hr show today on History channell abour Wendell Scott one of the very few African Americans to drive stock cars during the 1950's & 1960's. Over the coarse of his career he earned approx $180,000 driving Chevrolets early in his career and primarily Fords during the Mid to late 60's. He worked on the car himself along with his 2 sons. The vintage interviews were quite humbling. His family traveled the south racing at every opportunity at all of the small tracks that were used at the time. He didn't have 1st rate equipment, often purchasing used cars and parts from Holman & Moody and others, he only won 1 race. All of the Fords he drove looked like they werewere from 63-67 Galaxie's with 427s, there was also a 70 or 71 Torino and a 71or 72 Mercury Montego being his last car and it had a 429 (that's what the hood said), probably one of the last Boss 429 (??)motored cars. One of the more believable stories told by one of his sons was a time when he (the son) was to meet him at the track at a predetermined time to help in the pits. As he drove into the grounds his father (Wendell) was waiting for him at the gate and was frantically waving at him. Wendell had blown the engine in his race car and he needed to hurridly transplant the 427 out of the sons street car for the race and then afterwards reinstalled it so he could drive back home. May be a lot of truth to it too.
It was a pretty good show with Junior Johnson, Richard Petty, Cris Economackey, and some others reliving incidents and observations of a black man trying to be accepted as a racer in what was at the time basicly a white mans sport. It was apparent some of the drivers of the time disliked him, although it seemed as though he just wanted to be a racer.

If you get a chance, it's worth watching.
It puts a whole different spin on what the sport was like 35 years ago. When some of your 427's might have been beating under the hoods of some of those cars. Pretty "heady stuff".

Rick................

[Dsprint2000]

Richard Pryor did a movie that was kind of about him...... Greased Lightning I think......

David

[RACERAL]

Wendell lived about 25 min. from me... He worked his ass off and was a gentleman...

This is a true story....

Back in the 70's Wendell was driving back from Daytona.. well he was sleeping and his sons were driving.... when they got to a rest stop, Wendell woke up and asked if any thing was going on.. His son told him that they passed the Wood Brothers about a hour back on the side of the road... Wendell blasted there asses, made them get in the truck , turn around and go back to where they were and apologize to them for not stopping and help...
True story....