auto racing cards

[Exhibitman]

Speaking of trailblazers, I found this 1973 postcard of Wendell Scott in the lot:




Quite the backstory of this HOFer, per Wikipedia:

"Scott began his racing career in local circuits in the late 1940s and obtained his NASCAR license in 1953, making him the first African-American ever to compete in NASCAR. He debuted in the Grand National Series(NASCAR highest level)on March 4, 1961 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On December 1, 1963, he won a Grand National Series race at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first black driver and team owner to win at NASCAR's premier level. Scott's career was repeatedly affected by racial prejudice including being poisoned (Dover) and death threats (Spartanburg, Darlington, Talladega, Jacksonville, and Daytona). Despite these challenges he continued to compete and was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame & NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015."

[Bored5000]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Speaking of trailblazers, I found this 1973 postcard of Wendell Scott in the lot:




Quite the backstory of this HOFer, per Wikipedia:

"Scott began his racing career in local circuits in the late 1940s and obtained his NASCAR license in 1953, making him the first African-American ever to compete in NASCAR. He debuted in the Grand National Series(NASCAR highest level)on March 4, 1961 in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On December 1, 1963, he won a Grand National Series race at Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida, becoming the first black driver and team owner to win at NASCAR's premier level. Scott's career was repeatedly affected by racial prejudice including being poisoned (Dover) and death threats (Spartanburg, Darlington, Talladega, Jacksonville, and Daytona). Despite these challenges he continued to compete and was posthumously inducted into the International Motorsports Hall of Fame & NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015."

Once in a while, an autographed Wendell postcard or traditional card from the late 1980s show up at auction on eBay. There are not a lot of autographed Wendell Scott cards around, since he died in 1990. They usually go for around $100-200.

The "Hard Driving" Wendell Scott biography by Brian Donovan is a pretty good read about what Scott had to endure.

For those unaware, the 1977 "Greased Lightning" movie with Richard Pryor is based on Wendell Scott, although not really a strict adaptation of his life story.