NASCAR is often accused of harboring deep-rooted American racism. Ever since the racing series flagged off in 1949, white Southerners mostly dominated the race tracks. However, whispers of progress slowly crept into the sport, as the first Black Cup driver, Wendell Scott, got behind the wheel in the 1950s and 1960s. 

Although Scott’s Black successors were few, NASCAR adapted itself to changing times as it encouraged more diversity. Rick Mast, former NASCAR driver in the Winston and Busch Series, addressed the situation in his time, or the 90’s. Mast felt the racist label of NASCAR is anything but fair, and fans agreed.

Rick Mast believes NASCAR in his day was inclusive

When Wendell Scott ventured into the lower rungs of NASCAR in the 1950s, he showed promise. But it took 14 long years for his break in the highest tier, called the Grand National Series at the time. His challenges were more, as people threw slurs at him and his family, or rivals wrecked his equipment on purpose.

Yet NASCAR has improved over time, with strict racism policies in place. Bubba Wallace is currently the image of its diversity initiative. A veteran driver, Rick Mast, recently claimed that the racing series was plenty progressive in his time, in contradiction to popular belief. 

Mast talked about his inclusive team in a Kenny Wallace interview. “I had in the ’80s…two black guys on my crew: Paul and Peeway. And it was never a thought with me that I got two black guys. It was never a thought with anybody within my team…I’m sure with them, maybe they felt it. But they were welcome in our garage from our fellow competitors no differently than anybody in there.”

Rick Mast further cemented his point, underlining that drivers and crew members were too busy winning to pay attention to skin color. “We’re all trying to take a bucket of boats and win a Busch Grand National race…We would help other teams, other teams would help us, that’s the way it worked those days.”

Mast concluded as he said, “What always p*ssed me off is us being categorized as a racist sport. Again, I cannot speak for the fans, I’m not out there every week…That garage area encompasses everybody in our sport…It’s not there, it just isn’t“.

Some fans agreed with this, calling out the media as the biggest culprit for spurring racist ideas. One person commented: “The media does it more than anything, and then once that switch was flipped fans all had a side to pick… the stupid part is both sides want the same thing in different ways.” Another fan drew in the audience in the picture: “People see what they want to see.”

Even though Mast denies racism allegations within NASCAR, Wendell Scott’s experience and the frightfully small number of non-white people are evidence to the contrary.

But this interview also demonstrates Rick Mast’s undying love for his team. Kenny Wallace had also praised Mast as a supportive personality, which the veteran driver attributed to his team.

Mast’s team was a solid pillar for him

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In a career spanning 15 seasons, driving for several different teams, Rick Mast accumulated accolades. He scored nine wins and 39 top-fives in 243 starts in NASCAR’s No. 2 Series, the Busch Grand Nationals. As a silent yet strong support throughout this journey, Mast had a wonderful team by his side. Although a medical injury snapped his career short in 2002, Rick Mast credited his glory mostly to his team.

In an interview with Motorsport, Mast said in 2017: “It was more than the drivers, it was the crew members and all the comradery you felt being a part of that group.” He also mentioned his team’s irreplaceable nature. “I had one chance to move to another team one time and I would have taken the sponsor with me, but I would have also put the guys in the shop out of a job at the team I was with at the time and I just couldn’t do that.”

Although Rick Mast’s views on NASCAR’s racism can be contested, they divulge the strength of his personal moral standpoint.