African- American Contributions to Motorsports

This is the second article in a series that chronicles the contributions of minorities to motorsports.

Many people hear the cries for more minority involvement in auto racing and fail to understand why. A common misconception is that black athletes are better suited for traditional sports and lack the knowledge necessary to participate in auto racing. Things are slowly starting to change, but there was a group of young men that dispelled this myth almost 24 years before the birth of NASCAR.

The Colored Speedway Association was a group of young black men that organized a race series for black drivers in the Midwest in 1924. This group of black businessmen and several white colleagues raised $50,000 to organize a 100 Mile Colored Speed Championship. The series featured black sprint car drivers and culminated with the annual Gold and Glory Sweepstakes at the Indiana State Fairgrounds. These drivers were prevented from racing in the Indianapolis 500 because of their skin color.

Segregation was the order of business in the 20’s and the Gold and Glory organizers tempted death on and off the track. Starting a black owned series was seen as overstepping the racial boundaries of the time. Today’s racing series need to attract more minority drivers, owners, and sponsors. First, they must acknowledge that access and education is paramount. There is minority interest in motorsports but finding ways into the industry is a tough task.

The Colored Speedway Association disbanded in 1936 but their contributions have stood the test of time. There would be no Chase Austin or Bill Lester if Wendell Scott, the only African- American to win a NASCAR race, had not followed his dream of racing.

African- Americans have a proud history in auto racing, but these stories are seldom told. The Colored Speedway Association was revolutionary and deserves a place in motorsport history. Many sports fans relate to Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in baseball. However, the formation of the Colored Speedway Association was just as monumental.

Photo courtesy of Tom Stahl and WFYI Indianapolis
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5 Ways that Racing Helps the Planet

As the world struggles to find ways to combat global warming, the racing industry begins to enact measures to reduce emissions and reliance on fossil fuels.

Manufacturers have developed ways to make global motorsports cleaner and more environmentally friendly. To the non- race fan, a 3-hour race on a Sunday is an incredible waste of resources. However, a race serves as a competition as well as a high-speed research experiment. These are examples of what racing has done in the fight against global warming.

1. The Indy Racing League has mandated that all competitors use fuel- grade ethanol. Honda, the engine supplier for the series, made minor adjustments to the engine in order to run the new fuel. The fuel is supplied by Renova Energy of Idaho, which produces 10 million gallons of ethanol per year.

2. Audi, a manufacturer in the American Le Mans Series, developed the turbo- diesel R10 TDI racecar. The R10 utilizes a system that produces more horsepower while reducing fuel consumption. This system has eliminated the smell, cloud of pollution, and noise that is commonly associated with diesel power. Audi has applied these advancements to their production vehicle side.

3. The American Le Mans Series has mandated that each competitor use E10 fuel or clean diesel. E10 fuel is a 90 percent ethanol and 10 percent gasoline mixture. Ethanol is a renewable fuel source that is produced in the States, and releases less carbon dioxide when burned.

4. The sanctioning body of Formula 1, the FIA, has begun to look towards the use of biofuels by the year 2011. The FIA is actively looking for ways to cut costs in the development of an F1 car. One way is to use standard universal components on the body and power train that may cut fuel consumption in half.

5. NASCAR and its gas guzzling racecars have moved to unleaded racing fuel this season. This was done in an effort to lessen the environmental impact of 43 cars racing for the better part of Sunday afternoons.


The damage to the planet’s ozone, from auto emissions, is a political hot button. Race fans take heart, the lessons learned, from the racetrack regarding fuel consumption, are slowly finding their way to our street cars.


photo of Audi R10 TDI courtesy of rsports.com
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