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Diabierna 18 Februari 2022

Jusan Hamilton becomes 1st Daytona 500 Black race director

(AP) — Jusan Hamil- tracks were other kids that riers and blazing trails, and
ton fell hard for fast cars, looked like him. And while more about simply pursuing
dreaming as a kid of a a dearth of minorities didn’t his passion.
NASCAR career as he deter him from racing, it did
drove at dirt tracks in lead other friends and family “For me, it was, this is what I
New York. He contended to wonder what he was doing enjoy,” Hamilton said. “This
for wins, kept pace with with his time each weekend. is what I love doing. There’s
top drivers as he bounced a huge connection with me
from series to series and “Why does an African-Amer- and my family to go to the
trusted his talent enough ican kid from upstate New race track each weekend and
to know that he could York have an interest in mo- spend the time together.”
succeed as a professional torsports?” Hamilton said he
driver. was often asked. The 31-year-old Hamilton
did make it in racing, not in
What Hamilton didn’t see as The answer was simple, a driving career that petered
his family traversed around based less on breaking bar- out -- to a great degree be-

cause of the financial strain Bubba Wallace, who last sea-
on his family -- but behind son became the first Black
the scenes for over a decade driver to win a Cup Series
in NASCAR. He has worked race since 1963, has become
in event production, social the face of NASCAR’s diver-
media, shepherded the series’ sity push. Wallace, who won
Drive for Diversity program driving for a team co-owned
(that rejected him as a teen) by NBA Hall of Famer Mi-
and eventually was named chael Jordan, found his voice
race director for NASCAR’s as a catalyst for change and
three national series. led the successful push for
NASCAR’s 2020 ban of the
On deck, his milestone mo- Confederate flag.
ment: Hamilton is set to be-
come the first Black race di- He’s not alone as a person
rector in Daytona 500 history of color paving a new path
and only the third since 1988. in NASCAR. Take a look
He will watch from a booth around the garage at Daytona
overlooking the sprawling and multicultural audiences
track and call the shots on are represented in a wide
everything from cautions range of jobs.
to penalties to the clean-up
crew, navigating the com- Jesse Iwuji, a lieutenant com-
plexities of the race in the mander in the Navy Reserve,
official debut for NASCAR’s will become the second full-
Next Gen car. time Black driver this season
with plans to run in the sec-
“It’s not necessarily about be- ond-tier Xfinity Series. Iwuji
ing the first Black man to call co-owns his team alongside
the Daytona 500,” Hamilton Pro Football Hall of Famer
said. “Career-wise, it’s a huge Emmitt Smith, who enters
accomplishment for me, NASCAR a year after Jor-
with the passion I’ve had for dan and entertainer Pitbull
motorsports. Bigger picture, joined the ownership ranks.
I hope it sets a positive ex- Pitbull co-owns a team that
ample for others that, regard- has Mexican driver Daniel
less of race and background, Suarez.
if you work hard and have a
mindset toward your goal, it Floyd Mayweather Jr. has
is achievable.” a car that will attempt to
qualify for the Daytona 500,
NASCAR’s broadened di- as does NY Racing, a team
versity initiatives have made owned by Black entrepre-
strides over the last decade, neur John Cohen.
as the stock car series tries to
bust traditional stereotypes “Jesse, he’s been grinding so
and reflect all genders, ethnic hard to make this work for
groups and backgrounds. him and being a dream for
him, something he wanted
“I’ve always felt welcome,” to do when he retired from
Hamilton said. “I didn’t the armed forces, was really
think the perception was the cool,” Wallace said. “That’s
reality of working here. I do just him having the right
think in the last two years, people around him and help-
that was the right time for the ing him succeed. As far as in-
company to make its internal dustry leaders like Jusan, it’s
stance, that I’ve always felt, really cool that he’s a voice
known to the public. I think that we hear out here for a
we’ve taken huge steps in our race director.”
public perception.”