Bruce Driver, an African American competitor from Pennington, N.J., will drive a car sponsored by MBNA in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Racing Series at South Boston Speedway in Virginia this year as part of the Drive for Diversity program. Driver’s team, Score Motorsports, is co-owned by veteran NASCAR driver Hermie Sadler and Bryant Stith, a former basketball player at Virginia and in the NBA. The Drive for Diversity program is matching five minority drivers with teams to compete at weekly tracks this year in hopes of helping them work their way up the NASCAR ladder toward the Busch and Nextel Cup series. Charlotte-based Access Marketing & Communication is directing the program. Driver has competed in the NASCAR modified series and in American Speed Association events. Also, four students from the Urban Youth Racing School in Philadelphia will be in the Charlotte area to complete one-week internships with NASCAR Truck Series teams leading up to the Infineon 200 race Friday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Leon Simmons Jr., Ari Summers, Paris Young and Anthony Martin Jr. are all high school seniors. They will work with Morgan-Dollar Motorsports, Innovative Motorsports, Circle Bar Racing and Darrell Waltrip Motorsports. NASCAR has also appointed Tish Sheets to the new position of director of diversity and special projects and Debbie Cox to manager of diversity to oversee programs in those areas.(ThatsRacin.com)(5-15-2004)
