Star lights the way to change

Former NBA player turned racing broadcaster hopes to bring more diversity to NASCAR

By BOB SPEAR - bspear@thestate.com

DARLINGTON — Brad Daugherty represents a paradox in the world of stock-car racing: He is a basketball star who knows about speed, and he is a black man in a sport sorely lacking diversity.

He traded dunks, blocked shots and assists for cams, carburetors and roll bars — an odd transition by any standard.

He loves the change.

The only thing is, the change is not really a change.

The basketball All-American at the University of North Carolina and the first pick in the 1986 NBA draft felt the tug of auto racing long ago, and his moving into an announcer’s role with ESPN’s stock-car coverage came naturally.

Most former athletes who turn to the broadcast booth specialize in the sport they played. After a fling with basketball, Daugherty gravitated to the sport he discovered more than 30 years ago.

His becoming the first full-time black announcer in stock-car racing’s major leagues represented another step forward for both the sport and himself. He has owned teams and served on NASCAR’s diversity council, and now his presence on telecasts signals growth beyond the track.

The person most responsible for Daugherty’s love affair with racing? Why, no other than the King, Richard Petty.

‘A KID IN A CANDY STORE’

Daugherty, his dad and an uncle made the trek to watch races at Daytona Beach in the late 1970s. The youngster spotted the racing legend and called, “Hey, Mr. Petty.”

“He was walking through the drivers’ garage area, sauntered over and started talking,” Daugherty said in relating a scenario that would be unlikely with today’s drivers and their phalanx of representatives. “He asked where I was from (Black Mountain, N.C.), and we started talking about racing at Asheville-Weaverville (Speedway). That blew me away.”

The lad who had been introduced to racing by his family was hooked.

“We went to (North) Wilkesboro and talked to him again,” Daugherty said. “He has always been so nice. He made an indelible impression and immediately became my hero. I learned that if anyone ever asks for my time, I will share it. If he had walked away, who knows what might have happened?”

Daugherty honored Petty by wearing jersey No. 43 in high school and the pros. In college at North Carolina, he wore No. 42.

“Curtis Hunter and I both wanted No. 43,” Daugherty said. “I told coach (Dean) Smith, ‘I have to have it.’ I proposed a raffle to see who got the number, and Curtis wanted a foot race, but we decided by an old-fashioned coin toss. He won, and I must say he did not represent 43 very well.”

Forty-two worked just fine for the 7-foot Daugherty. He was an All-American for the Tar Heels and owned the Cleveland Cavaliers’ career scoring record until a guy named LeBron James came along.

But his interest in racing never waned. He owned successful teams on racing’s lower levels in the late 1980s, and his 1997 team won a couple of truck races.

“With the Cavaliers, Larry Nance and I would go to tracks and talk racing, and the guys thought we were crazy,” he said. “They were like, Who are these African-American guys and all they talk is racing?”

When the offer came to cover the sport, he jumped at the chance for visibility reasons.

“I thought if I didn’t, I didn’t know who else might get the opportunity,” he said. “I hope I can create some opportunities for minorities to participate in racing. But it’s also a labor of love, too. They wouldn’t have to pay me; I’m like a kid in a candy store.”

REACHING OUT

In working races, Daugherty sees progress in diversity both in the pits and in the stands, but he knows racing faces challenges.

“Nobody will be satisfied until there are (minority) drivers, and that’s so difficult,” he said. “This is not a stick-and-ball sport. Kids can play baseball, kids can play basketball, football. Kids can play golf, but they can’t play racing.

“You need to participate in this sport at an early age, and that’s the challenge. How do you reach those kids? It’s not like you can go out, build a go-kart program and say, ‘We’re going to find the next great driver.’ The next great driver might be in an apartment building in Manhattan or Brooklyn. NASCAR has done a wonderful job reaching out, but it’s not where we want it to be.”

He knows the realities. Owners are reluctant to take a chance on unproven drivers, which he calls a business decision.

“The bottom line at the end of the day is, it’s not black or white, it’s green,” Daugherty said.

He hopes to encourage NASCAR to take its sport from the track to those whom officials want to reach.

“Kids look up to athletes who are identifiable,” he said. “I would like to see NASCAR go into communities so kids can recognize who they are. Let’s take, say, Jimmie Johnson down into Little Haiti to meet some kids. Let them look at his race car, climb all over it, crank it up.

“You have to do things like that to create interest, and you have to do it a lot. With the time demands, it’s a daunting task.”

Daugherty spends his weekends at tracks. He arrived at Darlington at mid-day Thursday and worked the pits and team areas in the afternoon. His Friday began early and did not end until after the Nationwide Series race.

Otherwise, he will stay around home in the Asheville area with racing on his mind. He works on his cars and last month spent time on the track in Greenville searching for speed.

Be sure, though, if someone wants to talk, he will make time. If a youngster wants an autograph, he will oblige. He learned that lesson a long time ago from the King, and, he said, being nice to people never goes out of style.

Reach sports editor Bob Spear at (803) 771-8406.