DANVILLE, Va. (WDBJ) – The name Wendell Scott stands out to many across southside Virginia and even the world, but just a few decades ago, that was not the case.
“It is certainly one of the greatest underdog stories to ever exist,” said Warrick Scott, Wendell Scott’s grandson.
Wendell Scott was born in Danville in 1921.
“His prerequisite learning came from his father who was a mechanic and a chauffeur for the two wealthiest families in Danville who shared the first automobile. A lot of people don’t realize it, but that’s how he got his interest in motorsports,” added Scott.
After serving in World War II as a mechanic for three years, he started his racing journey at the Danville fair.
Though Wendell Scott hit many roadblocks due to racism and discrimination, his talent and perseverance led him to the NASCAR Grand National race in Jacksonville, Florida where he defied all odds.
“As he was racing around the track, he noticed that his name disappeared from the scoreboard. Once he got in first place, they took everybody’s name off of the scoreboard,” said Scott.
He received the first-place prize money, but they refused to give him the trophy.
“The thing that was done at the time was the winner would get to kiss the beauty queen. But at that time, the fear is that it would cause a race riot if he was brought into victory lane and treated the same way that the other drivers were treated when they won,” said Scott.
That only fueled his determination. Scott continued to set records and even ranked 11th in the nation in 1965. But it wasn’t until 2021 that NASCAR presented the Scott family with the Jacksonville 200 trophy Wendell won 58 years ago.
Wendell’s grandson says though he’s not here to see the moment – he’s glad his grandfather is finally getting the recognition he deserved.
“It was bittersweet because it’s something that I wish that he and my grandmother and even members of my family who are deceased could have experienced together. But I was proud of the progress that was made,” explained Scott.
Although his drive came to a stop in 1990 due to cancer, his legacy continues to live on through the Wendell Scott Foundation his family started in 2010.
Then, In 2015, Wendell Scott was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
“We oftentimes are asked why we don’t have the appearance of being more upset about things that happened in my grandfather’s career. But he taught us to lean toward who we are in totality in moments of crisis. If we can do that, it will lead to moments of triumph,” said Scott.
They have seen many moments of triumph in recent years.
Pixar used him as inspiration for a character in “Cars 3″ and the director of “Creed II” is working on a project about Scott.
An entire exhibit is dedicated to him at the New College Institute in Martinsville and a Wendell Scott Museum is coming to Danville.
The full video will air on Wednesday on WDBJ7 at 5:30 and WZBJ24 at 6:30.
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