Hard Driving: The Wendell Scott Story is a 2008 biography written by Brian Donovan about the life of NASCAR driver Wendell Scott, one of the first ever black drivers in NASCAR Cup Series history and the first ever black driver to win a race. Scott, the subject of the book, is shown facing numerous challenges of racial segregation, racism, possible match fixing, being banned from tracks, to have the lifestyle he wanted: to race out on the track.
A second edition of the book was released on August 3, 2021.
Plot
The book consists of stories detailing the timeline of Scott's life, NASCAR career, and the struggles he had growing up as a black man.
Scott was born in Danville, Virginia on August 29, 1921. His early childhood consisted of many struggles, including his parents divorcing due to clashing personalities and experiencing segregation. Throughout his life, he had promised himself to always "be his own boss", wanting to avoid an average job at a textile mill.
After buying a Ford Model T, he would become a mechanic and land a job at the local taxi company. During his span at the Danville Taxi Company, he would meet his wife, Mary Belle Coles at the age of 19, after Coles needed a ride. Scott would have a short stint in the United States Army in 1943 due to him being drafted for World War II.
After a failed stint as a car shop business owner, Scott would turn to bootlegging moonshine, and would become recognized for evading the police and having seemingly ludicrous stories on how he would evade the police. During his free time, he would watch races at the local Danville Fairgrounds Speedway, wishing that one day, he could race there.With help from fellow bootlegger, Bob McGinnis, Scott would catch a stroke of luck. The Dixie Circuit, a local Southern racing series, was looking for a black man to drive as a marketing gimmick, and would choose Scott to drive. While he had a rough start, within days, Scott would start to beat many regulars, and even win the series. To Scott's surprise, he did not see much discrimination among fans and drivers, and many would respect and defend him as a racer. However, Scott would still have to remain "tough-skinned" all his life, as still, many would still call him the n-word and heckle at Scott, with one notable example being Lynchburg Speedway's announcer calling Scott "the world's only n*gger driver." After gaining recognition in more local Virginia racing series, Scott decided that joining NASCAR would help Scott rise the ranks.
In 1954, Scott would get approved by NASCAR official Maurice Poston to race in NASCAR, breaking the color barrier in the league, to no public attention. In Scott's early NASCAR years, he would race in regional-level races, facing racism from promoters, drivers, and fans. However, as in the local racing series, Scott would gain the respect of his fellow drivers and fans due to his work ethic and talent on the track. In the same year, then NASCAR CEO Bill France Sr. promised in a handshake deal that Scott would be treated fairly as any white racing driver in NASCAR, a promise that stuck with Scott.
After seven years of Scott honing his skills in NASCAR's local and modified divisions, Scott would buy a car from fellow driver Buck Baker, and announced to his family that Scott would be racing in NASCAR's top series, the NASCAR Grand National Series. He would make his first start on March 4, 1961, at Piedmont Interstate Fairgrounds, to little fanfare, becoming the first black driver to race in NASCAR's top series. He would receive more discrimination, even being banned from Darlington Raceway and its races by its president Bob Colvin, the Rebel 400 and the Southern 500, which were at the time both races held as a celebration for the Confederacy. Scott would still however do well during his rookie season, finishing 32nd in the standings with 4,726 points, the most points received by a rookie.