ESPN documentary profiles Danville's Wendell Scott

Considered by many as one of NASCAR’s iconic pioneers, Danville native Wendell Scott’s life, not only as a race-winning driver but an enduring family man, will be documented in NASCAR Media Group’s docudrama, “Wendell Scott: A Race Story,” that airs at 9 p.m. Sunday on ESPN, a few hours after the scheduled running of the 53rd annual Daytona 500.

Long described as the Jackie Robinson of stock car racing, the documentary firmly establishes early that Scott had to essentially break down the color barrier, himself, to get into the sport. While Robinson had the backing of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Scott didn’t have the support of a major car company or sponsors.

He had himself and his family.

“That’s a big difference in the contrast. Jackie Robinson was protected, he had the owners of the team, he was protected. He was their franchise …” son Frank Scott said. Scott serves as the principal at N.L. Dillard Middle School in Yanceyville, N.C.

“He had to build his own cars, finance his own trips and everything. A lot of times, somebody’s like, ‘Ya’ll were rich. Back then ya’ll made $29,000.’ I said, ‘Well, it cost $35,000 to race.’ Everything that he won went right back into the car. But one thing he did, he provided education for his children.”

The first 30 minutes of the 48-minute film tell the story of Scott’s lone Grand National victory, a 200-lap race at Jacksonville Speedway Park on Dec. 1, 1963, by mixing in the stories of his life growing up, the way he taught his children to never use the word “can’t” and his undying love for his family that sometimes gets lost amongst the trials and tribulations he faced on the track.

“Wendell Scott faced overwhelming challenges throughout his life and as a pioneer in his sport,” John Dahl, executive producer, ESPN Films, said in a written release. “The film captures his strong sense of determination and honor with a poignant look at his struggles as well as an examination of his legacy.”

In what was supposed to be, up until that time, his greatest accomplishment, Scott was denied the celebration in Victory Lane. The reenactment of the scene shows Scott stoically sitting on his car outside of Victory Lane hours after the race and the tears rolling down his face as the track owner and an NASCAR official slowly walk up to him and inform him that there was an error in scoring and he was the winner.

He received the winner’s prize, but not the trophy.

“When they first approached us about doing it, I didn’t know how they would depict the story. Overall, I felt it was unique the way they did it,” Frank Scott said. “They did focus on some of the events, obviously there were many events that happened, in our lives during the years of racing. They picked the few that people could relate to, to really show who my father was. First of all, he was a family man and he loved his family and he was a great provider for all of us. I thought they depicted that and brought that out in the movie. I thought, overall, they did a good job with it. I wish it could have been longer, obviously, they probably had enough material to do a full motion picture type of situation instead of 48 minutes.”

The film goes from that day in Jacksonville to Scott purchasing a new car for the 1973 season. Desperately wanting to get back to Victory Lane so he can claim another trophy, Scott had to mortgage most everything he owned to get a car even seven-time champion Richard Petty called fast. As he quickly made his way through the field at Talladega Superspeedway, Scott was involved in a massive wreck on the back straightaway that Darrell Waltrip described as a “junk yard,” causing Scott to sustain career-ending injuries.

While he never got back in a race car, the documentary includes a 1986 interview with Ned Jarrett with Scott next to one of his older race cars. Scott never had the opportunity to prove he could still race with the best NASCAR drivers, but he was still shown working on engines and repairing parts of the car, just like he was taught growing up.

“Wendell Scott’s legacy will live on forever as the man who broke NASCAR’s color barrier and whose courage and bravery paved the way for minorities to pursue careers in the world of motorsports,” Paul Brooks, senior vice president of NASCAR and president of NASCAR Media Group, said in a written release. “This film will help preserve that legacy by telling the story of his historic ride and the positive impact his contributions are still having on the sport today.”

Overlooked during the Speedweeks at Daytona amid the 10th anniversary of the tragic death of Dale Earnhardt, the 2011 season marks the 50th anniversary of Scott’s breakthrough into NASCAR’s premier series.

Scott’s racing career began at the Danville Fairgrounds in 1952 and from there, he moved his way up through the ranks. He won 128 races in the hobby, amateur and modified ranks, including 22 wins in 1959 when he won a track championship at Southside Speedway as well as the Virginia State Sportsman title.

While the trips to Victory Lane were not as frequent in his Grand National career that began in 1961, Scott recorded 147 top-10 finishes and finished a career-best sixth in the 1966 points standings. His No. 34 car finished third in the owner’s standings that same season, all the while still being at a disadvantage to other top teams with new parts and engines. In each of the following three seasons, Scott finished in the top 10 in the point standings.

The documentary appropriately ends with the family receiving a duplicate trophy from Jacksonville Speedway Park on a cold, blistery evening. It is the trophy that Scott earned and deserved, as the scene finally makes its ways to the last image from the film where the sun is beaming down on the trophy sitting next to Scott’s grave.

“To bring it out, I look at it as a motivational tool to motivate people to never give up,” Frank Scott said. “My father had great humility and perseverance to never give up. He didn’t live to see what has happened, but I think his spirit is looking down and I don’t think he’d be surprised. He predicted things were going to happen. The magnitude, of course, he couldn’t imagine because of what has happened with technology and things like that today. He said to me one time that it’s going to be worth it one day. ‘They’re going to write a book about me,’ he said.

“They’ve done movies.”