As the 2005 NASCAR season begins, the Drive for Diversity programreturns for its second year and is once again a key component ofNASCAR's on-going diversity initiative.
The Drive for Diversity program, which is run by Charlotte, NorthCarolina-based Access Marketing & Communications, promotes diversitywithin the sport of NASCAR by providing opportunities for minority andfemale drivers (and crewmembers) in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series andNASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.
Corporate sponsors are paired with teams, which offer opportunities forparticipating drivers to compete in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series,NASCAR's local racing division. In 2005, those drivers will include:
NASCAR is striving for more...
NASCAR is striving for more diversity throughout its ranks.
Joe Henderson III: Henderson, of Franklin, Tennessee, was aninaugural Drive for Diversity participant and competed in the Late ModelStock Car division at Nashville's Music City Motorplex last season.Henderson was selected for his second year based on his performance atthe 2005 Drive for Diversity Testing and Evaluation event, held lastOctober in Radford, Virginia. Henderson will drive for MB2 Motorsportsand will once again carry sponsorship from Kodak.
Allison Duncan: Like Henderson, Duncan returns to the program forthe second year. She'll drive the No. 20 Bill McAnally Racing/RichardChildress Racing Chevrolet in NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series events atStockton 99 Speedway in Stockton, California. Duncan is originally fromSan Rafael, California, and she raced at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedwayin 2004.
Tommy Lane: Lane, a Wall, New Jersey native, will join EvernhamMotorsports to drive the No. 99 Dodge at Hickory Motor Speedway. He alsoworks on the No. 6 Hungry Drivers Dodge NASCAR Busch Series team as atire carrier. Lane will compete in a minimum of 18 events for EvernhamMotorsports.
Along with these NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series drivers, the Drive forDiversity program has launched its first team in NASCAR's regionalracing ranks. Open-wheel star Sarah Fisher will drive the Bill McAnallyRacing/Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet in the NASCAR Grand NationalDivision, West Series.
More than ever, these programs will form the future. As NASCAR Chairman& CEO Brian France writes, "While NASCAR already has over 75 millionfans, we want our sport to look more like America.
"We continue to attract the best talent and the most dedicated fans inthe world. To broaden the appeal of our sport and to sustain ourgrowth, we have launched a concerted industry-wide commitment to raiseawareness of our sport, promote diversity, and help create additionalon-track and off-track opportunities. While we still have a lot of workahead of us, I am excited about what the future holds."