William Durrell “Bubba” Wallace is only the second person of African descent to win a NASCAR race but he is best known for his 2020 successful campaign to have the Confederate flag, long a controversial and racially polarizing symbol for Americans, officially banned from NASCAR … Read MoreWilliam Durrell “Bubba” Wallace Jr. (1993- )
Formula 1 race car driver Lewis Hamilton was born January 7, 1985, in Stevenage, Herefordshire, England, to parents Carmen Larbalestier and Anthony Hamilton. His parents divorced when he was two, and as a result he lived with his mother and half-sisters. He studied at the … Read MoreLewis Hamilton (1985- )
“Image Ownership: Public Domain” William Benjamin Scott, known in the racing world as “The Professor” because of his other career as a college instructor and administrator, was a second-generation African American race car driver. He was born on February 4, 1945 in Los Angeles, California. … Read MoreBenny Scott (1945–2009)
William “Willy” Theodore Ribbs, Jr. is the first African American to test-drive a Formula One car, the first African American to compete in the Indianapolis 500, and one of only a few African American NASCAR racers. Born January 3, 1955, in San Jose, California, William … Read MoreWilliam T. “Willy” Ribbs, Jr. (1955- )
Automobile racer Rajo Jack DeSoto was born Dewey Gatson on July 28, 1905 in Tyler, Texas. (Previously published biographies have incorrectly listed his racing name as Rojo Jack.) Rajo Jack was barred from racing in many organized venues because of his African American heritage, but … Read MoreDewey Gatson (AKA Rajo Jack DeSoto) (1905-1956)
Charlie Wiggins, known as “the Negro Speed King,” was an African American motor racing pioneer who competed in the segregated Midwest in the early decades of the 20th Century. In addition, he was a highly skilled mechanic, often sought after by white racing drivers competing … Read MoreCharlie Wiggins (1897-1979)
Veteran auto racer Bill Lester was born February 6, 1961, in Washington, D.C. Lester earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley in 1984 and worked at Hewlett-Packard for a year before becoming a race … Read MoreWilliam (Bill) Alexander Lester, III (1961- )
