Wendell Oliver Scott was born in Danville, Virginia. And started driving when he was just 14. He began his career in the army and he worked as a mechanic. After he became one of the most well known mechanics in Virginia and worked as a taxi driver. In 1947 he started racing for fun and more and more people began to notice his skills. By 1959, he had won many races and competed in the Virginia State Championship and won. On March 4, 1961 he drove in his first major NASCAR race.
In1963 Scott became the first African American to win the Sprint Cup Division, the top division in NASCAR. But he was not given the title at first – days later he was named the winner because at that time some people didn’t want a Black man to race or win.
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