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NASCAR, the American stock car racing company, is celebrating its 75th anniversary and striving to bring diversity to the sport. Genia Dulot visited a pre-season NASCAR race at Los Angeles’ coliseum and spoke to Daniel Suarez, the first Mexican-born racing driver to win a NASCAR cup series.
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: NASCAR ANNIVERSARY - DIVERSITY
HEADLINE: NASCAR Driving Toward Diversity
TEASER: Daniel Suarez, the first Mexican-born race driver to win NASCAR cup series, among diverse group helping to expand fanbase
PUBLISHED AT: 02/08/2023
BYLINE: Genia Dulot
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: Los Angeles
VIDEOGRAPHER: Genia Dulot
PRODUCER: Genia Dulot
SCRIPT EDITORS: Bowman, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA, FOX and NASCAR Productions, SKYPE, Dalanda Quendeno (I will send specific time codes)
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO _X_
TRT:
VID APPROVED BY:
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: Suarez’s interview in Spanish in the clear ))
[[((INTRO))
NASCAR, the American stock car racing company, is celebrating its 75th anniversary and striving to bring diversity to the sport. Genia Dulot visited a pre-season NASCAR race at Los Angeles’ coliseum and spoke to Daniel Suarez, the first Mexican-born racing driver to win a NASCAR cup series.
((NARRATOR))
Growing up in Monterey, Mexico, Daniel Suarez was very passionate about automobiles. But as a child he never dreamed he’d become a professional race car driver.
((Daniel Suarez, NASCAR Race Driver))
“It was difficult, but I feel, that’s what makes my journey even more sweet, that it was not easy, and I went against the odds of being a professional race car driver. My dad, at one point, he had to sell his business and put the mortgage on my mom’s house to continue to support my career, when I was 16 years old”.
((NARRATOR))
After becoming a top racing driver in Mexico, he moved to the U.S. in 2011, where he joined NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program. Its purpose is to attract minority and female individuals to the sport. In 2022, Suarez becomes the first Mexican-born driver to win the prestigious NASCAR Cup Series.
NASCAR, or National Association for Stock Car Auto racing, was formed in the U.S. in 1948 after World War II as a marketing tool for American car manufacturers to sell automobiles. An enduring motto was born: “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.”
[[Radio track: NASCAR’s Matt Humphrey.]
((Matt Humphrey, Director Track Communications for NASCAR))
“For an international audience that is used to watching Formula 1, where you have cars basically following each other around, following the leader, one after the other, stock car racing is close quarters racing. It’s a contact sport, like American football /// Guys are racing really close to each other, and that competition really appeals to our fans in United States.”
((NARRATOR))
This year, celebrating its 75th anniversary, NASCAR built a temporary 400-meter-long racetrack inside the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for a pre-season competition.
NASCAR originally raced cars seen on the streets that could be bought at local dealerships. Today, however, they race highly engineered vehicles designed for the track.
Changes extend beyond the machines. While nearly all drivers were once white males, the sport now actively recruits people of color and women, striving for a larger and more diverse fanbase.
((Courtesy: Dalanda Ouendeno))
Like Suarez, French-born Dalanda Ouendeno joined NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program as a pit crew member. Her team is allowed no more than 9 seconds to change tires and fill up a gas tank during a race.
((Dalanda Ouendeno, NASCAR Pit Crew Member)) ((Skype logo))
“You gotta practice over and over and over again, cause one tenth of a second makes a huge difference, so every single second it matters so much. You gotta be also detail-oriented, being able to work under pressure.”
((courtesy: Dalanda Quendeno))
((NARRATOR))
She says working in a male-dominated field can be intimidating, but it makes succeeding all the more rewarding.
For his part, Daniel Suarez wants to see more Latinos take part in the sport.
((Daniel Suarez, NASCAR Race Driver))
“My purpose in the sport is to win races, win championships, but also be able to connect with my people and let them understand that doors are open for all Hispanics to come to the sport, and not just as drivers, but as mechanics, engineers, pit crew members, because there are so many opportunities for this industry.”
((NARRATOR))
In 2019, Suarez started a program, “Daniel’s Amigos,” to draw people of Latin American heritage to the racetracks.
((Genia Dulot, for VOA News, Los Angeles))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateFebruary 9, 2023 04:40 EST
BylineGenia Dulot
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
