NASCAR Hall of Famer, Wendell Scott was honored this past weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during the 25th Annual Pennzoil 400. March 4th, 1961 is the date of Wendell Scott’s first start in NASCAR’s Grand National Series. All competitors and pace cars in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR Xfinity Series, and NASCAR Cup Series displayed a decal of the artwork commissioned by NASCAR to honor the legacy of the first African American to win in NASCAR’s premier series.
Philadelphia area artist, Chuck Styles worked closely with the Scott family with NASCAR’s trust in his abilities, giving him complete creative freedom to customize the decal. He captured the revolutionary figure’s character in ways that William Franklin “Frank” Scott Sr., Wendell’s son said “depicted a lot of my father that he didn’t even realize. When you look at his caricature, his hair, his face, his determination; he got it all, and I want to commend him on all the work he's done.”
Frank also commended NASCAR on their efforts in cultivating diversity and inclusion saying that “We support Bubba, Rajah and other aspiring drivers. We encourage diversity and we’re so proud of NASCAR for doing such an incredible job with diversity. They get better each year, doing great things to include everyone. We love racing, we’re a racing family”.
Warrick Scott Sr. grandson to the late Wendell Scott, acknowledged that his grandfather had a passion to serve the under-acknowledged and “built the ultimate bridge for diversity and we can see that manifesting right here today”.
Initially, Styles admitted to a regimented graphic design approach but, NASCAR inspired him to be loose and free with the design, inspiring an impactful expression of who Wendell Scott was. Something, Styles said he aims to portray in each of his works.
“I’m thankful that it translated well. I just want to continue to work with the Scott family to expand on this legacy because it is important to let everybody know we can do incredible things together. Positivity and determination can change the trajectory of many people’s lives,” said the artist.
He was grateful to have NASCAR reach out to him for the great opportunity and trusting in his authentic artistic expression.
The Wendell Scott Foundation and family work diligently to keep telling the story of his legacy as a global sports icon so the generations to come will understand that space for minorities in NASCAR was created through resilience, fearlessness, and hope for the future. The story has been passed on through film, television, written publications, staying current with the times and further exploring new mediums.
In the spirit of evolution, Wendell Scott Ventures partnered CMG Worldwide, WorldwideXR and VueXR to honor Scott’s legacy with an exclusive NFT collection that drops Monday March 6th, 2022 with the NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway. Authentik Studios recently hosted an in-person NFT auction at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, propelling Scott’s legacy into blockchain and the metaverse, Big Tech’s newest frontier.
Reflecting on his father's hopes for the future, Frank said “My father predicted so much of this. He told me so many times ‘I’m going to get my trophy’ and there’s going to be more minorities involved in racing on the highest level. It makes me shutter to think of all the times we were riding down a bumpy narrow road down in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, whatever. He would just talk about his visions of the future.”
More information on Chuck Styles, artist of the NASCAR commissioned Wendell Scott decal featured on all of the cars at the 2022 Pennzoil 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway visit www.artofchuckstyles.com and for more on Wendell Scott and the NFT collectibles, information can be found at www.wendellscott.org