The Rev. Jesse Jackson tells NASCAR Winston Cup Scene this week that he got involved with NASCAR to help bring more diversity to the sport and says the sanctioning body has shown a commitment to providing more opportunities to minorities. “We reached out to [NASCAR] because of so many black drivers and engineers who couldnt get in,” the civil rights activist says in an exclusive interview with contributing writer Doug Johnson. “We wanted to open up the industryà . Race car driving is an American sport. And African-Americans are part of that one big tent of American interestà . I think that there is now a very definite commitment [by NASCAR]. I think they appreciate the undercapped market and the untapped talent.”( Winston Cup Scene Daily Newsletter , there is also a full column by Doug Johnson in this weeks magazine)(5-15-2003)
