Wendell Scott: NASCAR's First Black Racer Fought Uphill Battle
We'll forgive any of our readers who don't recognize the name of NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott. Scott raced in NASCAR's Grand National Series from 1961 to 1973, but he never drove for a front-running factory team, nor did he rack up innumerable GN wins. Those types of accomplishments are the measures often used to define a racing superstar, but it turns out they're not the only parameters that should be applied.
As the first Black driver to win a race in NASCAR's top-tier series, Scott's experience was always that of an independent entry. Make no mistake, it wasn't that Scott wanted to be independent, with all the scraping by and financial sacrifices that had to be made.
In fact, over many years, he tried to convince manufacturers and sponsors to give him a chance with the funds for top-level equipment, but nobody ever came through. Many drivers of the era think Scott would've proved to be a top talent if given a better opportunity, but it wasn't to be in the 1960s. Yet Scott's record is all the more impressive when you consider what he had to work with. Over a 13-year Grand National career, Scott had nearly 500 starts, 147 top-10 finishes, 20 top-5s, and one victory: a 1963 race in Jacksonville, Florida. Scott's best finish in the season points race was 1966 when he finished sixth, and he finished in the top 10 in points on three other occasions.
Ford And NASCAR Politics
If you've not seen a 1966 Galaxie in NASCAR trim before, it's because there are almost none left, and there weren't too many to start. A quick study of NASCAR history, explained by Craft, helps reveal why.
By July, negotiations had come to the point where Ford teams began to trickle back into competition—this time using the Fairlane. NASCAR now allowed the Ford 427 wedge engines to run dual quads and allowed the competition Fairlanes to be built with the roomier and stronger Galaxie front frame stubs.
The Holman Moody Connection
All to say that when Wendell Scott acquired this particular Galaxie in 1967, it was obsolete compared to the new Fairlanes and Hemi Mopars. No matter in Scott's eyes, as it was a quality Holman Moodybuilt racer, and he went on to campaign the '66 in numerous races. In fact, Scott raced both his '65 and this '66 during the 1967 and 1968 seasons, a period of time when he finished in the top 10 on 21 occasions.
Current owner Brent Hajek acquired the rare Galaxie and a truckload of Wendell Scott parts in the early 2000s, and turned to Randy Peterson for the restoration. After assembly at Holman Moody, the car saw its first racing with the Banjo Matthews team in early 1966 with Cale Yarborough at the wheel. Faced with this background, Hajek says he was a bit torn as to what livery to restore the car in. "I decided I had to restore it as Wendell raced it. Certainly, Wendell ran more races in it, and I have great admiration for his talent, work ethic, and core values that played out as a racer and committed family man."
It's a true statement that virtually any restored NASCAR relic is more beautiful today than it was when it originally ran. The same goes for the Wendell Scott Galaxie, but it's the nature of the beast: the cars were absolutely ridden hard in their heyday. Scott would probably shake his head at the lack of visible bumps and bruises on his old ride, yet the attention to detail was done out of respect for Scott, a man whose success isn't measured purely by his number of victories.
The Struggle Behind The Struggle
There's no doubt that the story of Wendell Scott's racing career is littered with roadblocks he faced due to racial prejudice, but it's also a story of inspiration. Inspiring from the point of view of doing more with less, demonstrating the fruits of hard work, and persevering through tough times in pursuit of a dream.
Scott was born in 1921 in Danville, Virginia. As a young man, he served in the Army during World War II, where he was a soldier and mechanic in the European theater. Postwar, Scott opened up a garage and also did his share of bootlegging to make extra money, where he developed impressive skills driving the backroads of Virginia. His first foray into competitive driving was in Danville in 1952 on the Dixie Circuit, which eventually morphed into 128 race wins in and around Virginia, and the Virginia State Sportsman Championship in 1959. But Scott had higher aspirations: NASCAR's top level of racing, known as Grand National at the time. His first GN race was in March 1961 at Spartanburg, South Carolina, and his first win came two and a half years later in Jacksonville, Florida. The 1963 season also saw Scott finish 15th in the points chase, so it certainly seemed a promising start.
A Family Work Ethic
But rather than dwell on negatives, it's in keeping with Wendell Scott's character to focus on the positives. High praise from his racing peers helps put things in perspective in this regard, with NASCAR great Ned Jarrett once opining, "He probably did more with less than any driver that I've ever seen." How Scott was able to run his own racing team, while at the same time operating a repair shop and raising a large family, is nothing short of astounding. To be sure, the family was an integral part of Scott's operation, wrenching on the race car, serving as pit crew, scoring the races, and traveling the NASCAR circuit as a family affair. Scott's wife, Mary, was a rock, a constant supporter, and a vital player behind the scenes. And despite the incredible challenges, there were many individuals in the racing community who lent considerable support to Scott. Among them were Earl Brooks, Ned Jarrett, Richard Petty, Ralph Moody, Leonard Wood, and others. Scott's humility, work ethic, skill, and character won over most drivers and fans through the years, and he had a rep for pitching in to help out someone else whenever there was a need.
Wendell Scott's place in history as the first Black driver to race full-time in NASCAR's top series is secure, but more than that, Scott simply wanted to be known as a great racer, regardless of color. A study of Scott's story and racing record proves he was that, and much more.
How To Learn More About Wendell Scott
The Wendell Scott Foundation is a national non-profit established to commemorate the memory of the first Black driver to win in NASCAR's Grand National competition.
1966 Holman Moody Galaxie Build Details
- Engine: A Derric Staggsbuilt and machined 427 Medium Riser is consistent with the way this car would've been delivered from Holman Moody back in 1966, but we've seen pictures of Wendell Scott holding a 427 Tunnel Port intake while working on this very car, so we know at one time or another it was also configured in this manner. The side-oiler block came from Scott's very own inventory, which Hajek bought with the car, and is outfitted with a Ford steel crank, LeMans rods, and Venolia 12.5:1 slugs. The factory Medium Riser heads feature 2.195/1.72-inch valves, fed through a Ford aluminum MR intake and Holley 750. The cam is a Comp solid flat-tappet of undisclosed specs.
- Exhaust: 1966 was the first year Ford teams ran headers the entire season, so the Hooker 1-3/4-inch tubes here are appropriate for the genre. The rest of the exhaust is simple: a short run of 3-inch tubing exiting out the side.
- Transmission: Hurst-shifted, close-ratio Top Loader with big input/output shafts.
- Fuel System: A custom fuel tank replicates what HM built in the day and features a rare cast-aluminum HM rollover valve. A factory 427 pump and filter draw through 3/8-inch lines to feed the single Holley.
- Rearend: Full floater 9-inch with nodular case, Detroit Locker dif, 3.89 gears, and 31 spline Speedway axles.
- Suspension: Up front are HM-fabbed tubular shock towers, HM control arms and spindles, jack-screw-adjusted coil springs, Monroe shocks, and a 1-inch sway bar. The rear consists of a HM four-link with Watts linkage, jack-screw-adjusted coil springs, and a quartet of Monroe shocks.
- Brakes: NASCAR stockers ran four-wheel drum brakes well into the mid-1970s, so it's no surprise to see them here. They measure 11x3 inches up front with 11x2.5s in the rear—and metallic linings, of course.
- Wheels and Tires: Original Holman Moody double-centered rims measure 15x8.5 inches and mount period-correct Firestone 8.00/8.20-15 Super Stock 500s.
- Interior: The guts are spartan and restored to period spec, including the state-of-the-art-for-1966 fire-suppression system. The Holman Moody sandcast gauge pod hosts a variety of Stewart Warner gauges. Noticeably absent is a speedometer!
- Exterior: Randy Peterson is credited for the restoration of this Galaxie, including the body and paint. Pictures of the Galaxie while Wendell Scott raced it sometimes show a red hood and other times a white hood.
Featured photo: ISC Archives/CQ-Roll Call Group via Getty Images, edited by Ryan Lugo
SOURCE: HOT ROD