When Wendell Scott became the first African American driver to win a race in NASCAR's top division in December 1963, he was denied the trophy, the winner's check and moment of glory. Though Scott had beaten second-place finisher Buck Baker by two laps, NASCAR declared Baker the victor.
Scott protested. A few hours later, after fans had left the Jacksonville, Florida, track, NASCAR corrected what it called "a scoring error," and handed Scott a check that barely covered his debts and enough gas to haul his racecar back to his Danville, Virginia, garage. The delay averted a scenario the sport wasn't ready to countenance: a Black driver receiving the traditional kiss from the event's beauty queen in Victory Lane.