In 1973, Randy Bethea, a black race driver from Newport, Tenn., rolled into Fairgrounds Speedway for a NASCAR race and bumped hometown hotshot Darrell Waltrip off the pole. Bethea, now 55 and still racing periodically, is one of a few perhaps only four black drivers who have competed at the 45-year-old track. Joe Henderson III, an 18-year-old Franklin High senior, was the latest, running a Late Model Stock Car feature earlier this month. A story in The Tennessean about Henderson’s race drew widespread response from fans who recalled Bethea’s Late Model Sportsman race with the present Late Model Stock Car division. The Late Model Sportsman division in which Bethea competed was a national touring series that eventually evolved into the NASCAR Busch Series. Ralph Earnhardt, father of the late Dale Earnhardt, won a Late Model Sportsman championship. The Henderson story inspired debate about who was the first black driver at the track and drew attention to how few black drivers have raced there over the years.(see full story at the Tennessean )(6-26-2003)
