So I suppose you might have read today about an American company associated with NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program signing a sponsorship deal with a corporate entity to improve opportunity for future candidates who belong to this program. The focus is on helping young men and women break into the NASCAR world dominated by white men. Of course these candidates / participants are of diverse ethnic backgrounds and women who, by the nature of them not be white males, have less or no opportunity to get into NASCAR.

Well, that’s not entirely true. If you have money and connections, you can buy your way into NASCAR regardless of ethnicity or gender.

So, diversity is bandied about as if it actually includes women. But, from actual facts, it really doesn’t. In eighteen years, only three participants who were part of the driver side have gone on to compete at the highest levels of NASCAR. Guess what? All men. Yes, at least one woman has gone on to be a member of the NASCAR community – as a crew member or official – I don’t recall. Maybe more, but of course the level of promotion in the media has been rather lacking on all fronts.

But what about the women drivers? Actually there have been a lot who have gone through the program. But once they left the program, or were not asked back, they have all but disappeared from sight.

So this program is designed to teach a participant all the different aspects of a well rounded motorsports career – marketing, sponsorship, public speaking, physical training, driving skills and etiquette and anything else a person who aspires to live and work in the NASCAR world needs. And, in return, this program creates exposure to potential teams and sponsors for the participant in hopes that opportunity is created for the next step in the career ladder. Sadly, rarely does this happen.

And then we are back to the issue of women. These so-called diversity programs really need to stop incorporating women into their program descriptions – unless they mean it, can back it up with results and show, beyond a doubt that diversity is truly inclusive.

And for NASCAR – stop promoting a half hearted attempt at trying to convince people (and those with dreams) that you truly embrace diversity when you don’t. Very little has changed in eighteen years. Danica was not a result of your initiative. It was her sponsor, JR Motorsports and Tony Stewart who made it possible – and money.

Embarrassing, pathetic and inexcusable!