NASCAR in middle of political controversy

By SANDRA PEDICINI
THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Even at speeds of almost 200 mph, NASCAR can't outrun racial controversy.
More than 100,000 fans packed Daytona International Speedway for the Pepsi 400 on Fourth of July weekend, and the overwhelming majority were white -- just like all of the drivers.
But while trying to broaden its appeal to minorities, NASCAR has found itself in the middle of a political brawl and taking punches from both sides.
Conservatives are calling for NASCAR to end its relationship with its most unlikely of partners: the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. It's a difficult spot for NASCAR, which is trying to diversify its fan base but also doesn't want to alienate its traditional fans, who also tend to be politically conservative.
Got $250,000
Headed by the France family that's been a big Republican supporter, NASCAR has also given $250,000 to the Citizenship Education Fund, an arm of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. The group says it has used the money to boost minority participation within motorsports.
But critics -- including a network of black conservatives -- accuse Jackson of intimidating NASCAR into giving him money to keep him from making a public fuss about the lack of minorities in motorsports.
And giving money to Jackson has not silenced the criticism from his group that NASCAR doesn't have enough nonwhite faces. At a Rainbow/PUSH Coalition conference a few weeks ago, board member Bill Shack called NASCAR and other auto racing organizations "the last bastion of white supremacy" in professional sports.
Much of the criticism about NASCAR's relationship with Jackson came from Peter Flaherty. The conservative activist runs the National Legal and Policy Center, a nonprofit group in Virginia that bills itself as "promoting ethics in government."
Jackson is challenged
Before the Pepsi 400, a black conservative organization named Project 21 called upon NASCAR to sever its ties with Jackson. The group recently challenged Jackson to show he's truly committed to minority participation in motorsports by sponsoring a black driver himself.
The group put out its challenge after getting a call for help from Herbie Bagwell Jr., a black driver who has qualified for the upcoming Busch North Series but needs sponsorship.
"It's an issue that I think can really make a difference and really kind of show people how some of the Jesse Jackson operation works," said David Almasi, Project 21's director. "He's saying he wants diversity. We're asking him to put his money where his mouth is."
Jackson's group does not sponsor athletes but could try to find Bagwell a sponsor, said Charles Farrell, director of Rainbow Sports. Farrell said his division of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, funded by the Citizenship Education Fund, tries to find minorities better opportunities within many types of professional sports.
Seeks diversity
NASCAR officials could not be reached for comment, but criticism of its donation to Jackson's group has prompted President Mike Helton to issue a statement saying, "NASCAR does not endorse political views. NASCAR endorses DIVERSITY. . . . NASCAR is truly an American sport and we want our sport to look like America. Based on this conviction, we continue to create opportunities for EVERYONE to be a part of the NASCAR community."
But now NASCAR runs the risk of further alienating its traditional fan base already unhappy about changes in the sport including the increasing price of tickets.
NASCAR donated money to the Citizenship Education Fund after Jackson publicly criticized stock car racing for not including enough minorities at a 1999 conference attended by NASCAR Chairman Bill France Jr.
"The fact of the matter is there is frustration because of exclusion," Jackson was quoted as saying. "We must now turn that pain to power. We were qualified to play baseball before 1947. We are qualified to race cars now."
Hired manager
In the past year and a half, NASCAR's efforts have included hiring a manager of diversity affairs, establishing a diversity council and going to minority colleges to talk about job opportunities within motorsports.
Still, Farrell said, "there is a perception about NASCAR, right or wrong, that stock car racing is a good ol' boy, Southern, redneck, cracker sport. That perception certainly is fueled by any visit to a NASCAR track, where you see hundreds and hundreds of Confederate flags waving. That certainly does not dissuade such comments as Mr. Shack's."
Several weeks before the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition conference, Flaherty and his staff had already begun a campaign to get NASCAR to stop giving money to Jackson's group. The issue then was Jackson's opposition to the Iraq war.
'Shakedown artist'
In a recent interview, Flaherty called Jackson a "shakedown artist" who threatens some of the world's largest companies with racially themed boycotts if they don't contribute to a fund he controls. When the companies donate money, Flaherty said, the boycott rumblings cease.
Officials at the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition's Chicago headquarters did not respond to a request for comment. But Farrell dismissed the criticism, saying the coalition couldn't strong-arm NASCAR even if it wanted to.
"What are we going to boycott?" he said. "We're not going to the races in enough numbers now to boycott anything."
Flaherty said the Citizenship Education Fund directly benefits Jackson and his family and close friends even though it is organized as a tax-exempt charity. Flaherty's group has filed a complaint with the IRS.
Accusation of misuses
Jackson's group has also angered the Illinois chapter of Amer-I-Can, a black-run organization that works with young offenders to help them stay out of jail. According to reports, the group protested the recent Rainbow/PUSH Coalition convention, claiming Jackson's group misused grants intended to help people in Illinois.
Farrell said Rainbow Sports two years ago negotiated Dr. Pepper's sponsorship of a black-owned racing team with black driver Morty Buckles, in NASCAR's Late Model Series. He said his group is also trying to get a sponsorship for a black motorcycle racing team and is working with minority-owned clothing companies on a racing-themed apparel line.
But Bagwell said Jackson's group has never contacted him or other black drivers about ways to get them more prominence within motorsports.