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Tag: Drive for Diversity

Paulie Harraka Back on Track and Working Hard for More

For Paulie Harraka, being back on track in the No. 44 ‘Buckle Up’ Toyota for TriStar Motorsports this past weekend was most exciting, especially after pulling off a 19^th place finish in the Nationwide race at Dover International Speedway.

But that taste of success simply served to further whet the appetite of the Duke University and Drive for Diversity graduate, who is now working hard on his next opportunity to get back behind the wheel of a race car.

“It was a lot of fun,” Harraka said of his Nationwide TriStar Motorsports debut. “We had a really good car.”

“I was able to move up fairly quickly in the early going but I had an unfortunate incident on pit road with just a guy stalling out and making a mistake and miscommunicating with his spotter,” Harraka continued. “We became the victim. And that hurt us. It bent the splitter down a little bit and it obviously hurt the front fender so we lost front down force. We’d land so hard in the corner that it would bottom out the splitter. So, it made the car a little bit of a handful.”

“But I was able to move around and we made some adjustments and got the handling back,” Harraka said. “We were able to move back up and pass a lot of cars to get back in the top-20, which was our goal for the weekend.”

“All in all, a good day, especially for my first time in the 44 car and working with this race team. We really enjoyed working with each other and I think we built a good foundation to go and do more and run better next time around.”

Harraka was also very grateful to have the sponsorship from the Delaware Office of Highway Safety, focusing on seat belt education, a cause in which Harraka passionately believes.

“I’m really grateful to the Delaware Office of Highway Safety and their ‘Buckle Up’ program,” Harraka said. “We really did a unique marketing package with them. It’s a relationship that we had that we were able to put together.”

“It’s so important to make a habit of buckling up,” Harraka continued. “You should just do it every time you get in a car because you don’t get that second chance.”

Harraka was not the only one pleased with the sponsorship deal.

“The Office of Highway Safety is thrilled to have a new partner in traffic safety with Paulie Harraka and TriStar Motorsports,” Alison Kirk, community relations officer for OHS, said. “We had a great weekend with Paulie and the team to bring seat belt safety education and outreach to fans at the Monster Mile. We appreciated the support that they gave us to share the Buckle Up message in the racing community.”

In addition to his sponsor, Harraka was also pleased to join the TriStar Motorsports team, one that is deep in veteran talent with drivers Mike Bliss and Jeff Green.

“We felt like there was a great platform here for me as a driver having a race team that has a lot of their own equipment, a beautiful race shop, and teammates that I can really lean on like Mike Bliss and Jeff Green, champions with multiple wins,” Harraka said. “We were joking around and saying that Mike Bliss probably has more laps run at Dover than I have in my whole racing career. So, to have those guys to lean on, we have a great bunch with the 44 crew and it all came together well.”

In addition to his teammates, Harraka has yet another tool in his belt that he utilized this past weekend at the Monster Mile and at all the tracks where he races.

“Ted Musgrave (2005 Truck Series Champion) comes with me to all that races that we do,” Harraka said. “Ted is a coach and a mentor to me. He’s great because he’s seen almost every scenario there is to see. He’s been there, he’s driven it himself, and he has a tremendous amount of knowledge about the race car as well.”

“He’s really good at helping us when I need to be doing something differently or when we need to adjust the cars. He can watch what the other cars are doing in a way that is different because he has been in those situations so many times. He helps with information and helps us work through optimizing our race car.”

Harraka admitted that he learned quite a few lessons from his novice run with TriStar Motorsports and the No. 44 team at the Monster Mile, the track that he considers his ‘home track’ as a Wayne, New Jersey native.

“The first time you work with a new team and a new crew chief you have to figure how you fit into that and how I can best enhance the race team,” Harraka said. “So, when my crew chief Greg Connor and I sit down, we’ll run through everything that happened this weekend and what we can do better as a race team and how we can improve our communication.”

“They know a little bit better now what I look for in a race car. I know a little bit more about what to expect from them. Obviously, being in a Nationwide car, you learn who you can be around, who you can expect to give you room and who not. All in all, it was a good day.”

So, what are the plans for the future for Harraka and do those plans involved the No. 44 car and team?

“We are working on a few different things to have me in the 44 this year,” Harraka continued. “So, it’s a step by step process and certainly the run we had yesterday was helpful to that.”

“Without a doubt, I’m excited to be back in the car,” Harraka said. “Racing is a bug that bit me when I was seven years old.”

“You work your butt off to have opportunities to drive race cars and you are grateful when you have them. And then you work your butt of to have more,” Harraka continued. “I’m really excited about the prospect of working with this race team, being with them more, and being in this 44 car again.”

Harraka summed his feelings up about being back in the race car with great passion and enthusiasm.

“It’s great to be back in a race car,” Harraka said. “It’s great to be back working with a race team and spending time in the shop with the guys.”

“It’s fun to work again on the challenges of optimizing your race car,” Harraka said. “I’m in my element.”

“And I’m working hard for more.”

June 3, 2014
Darrell Wallace Jr. scores historical win at Martinsville

The last time and only time an African-American driver visited victory lane in a NASCAR national touring series was 1963 when Wendell Scott took the win at Jacksonville. On Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, Darrell Wallace Jr. became the second.

Wallace, a NASCAR drive for diversity graduate, led 96 laps in his Kyle Busch Motorsports No. 54 ToyotaCare Toyota Tundra. The win was Wallace’s 11^th top-10 finish this season and second top-10 at Martinsville.

NASCAR implemented the driver for diversity program in an effort give more opportunities to minorities who want to pursue a career in NASCAR. Though several drivers have worked through the program, Wallace is the first driver to find success in a national touring series.

NASCAR chairman and CEO, Brian France commented on Wallace’s victory,” We congratulate Darrell Wallace Jr. on his first national series victory, one that will be remembered as a remarkable moment in our sport’s history.” He continued, “Darrell’s success, following fellow NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate Kyle Larson’s win earlier this season, is indicative of a youth and multicultural movement that bodes well for NASCAR’s future growth.”

Wallace’s success came early on when he drove in the drive for diversity program. He won Sunoco rookie of the year honor in the K&N Pro East Series in 2010. He then backed that up with a second place finish in the championship standings in 2011.

In 2012, Wallace has compiled 11 top-10’s and five top-5 finishes in 18 starts in the Camping World Truck Series. He also started four Nationwide Series starts this season for Joe Gibbs Racing, finishing in the top-10 in three of those starts.

An emotional Wallace was asked what this win means to him, “It means everything. This is an emotional win for me. Especially to do it in Wendell Scott’s backyard and I love coming here to Martinsville, it’s always good to me and it finally paid off.”

October 26, 2013
Dr. Lapchick Starts Diversity Rehab with Jeremy Clements

Early next week, Dr. Richard Lapchick, Founder and Director of the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport, will begin his diversity rehabilitation with NASCAR driver Jeremy Clements.

The 28-year-old NASCAR Nationwide Series driver was suspended by the sanctioning body for an “intolerable and insensitive remark” during an MTV interview before the Nationwide race at Daytona. He was remanded to rehabilitation with Dr. Lapchick as part of his recovery program.

Delray Rehab, located in Delray Beach, FL, offers outpatient treatment using specialized therapies created for sustainable health and recovery and is dedicated to helping anyone that is suffering from alcohol and drug addiction and mental health issues in a compassionate and welcoming environment.

So, who is this Dr. Lapchick who will work with Clements and how did he become such a passionate expert in racial diversity in sports?

“It started pretty young,” Lapchick said. “My dad was a coach of the Knicks and as a five year old I looked outside my bedroom window and saw my father’s image swinging from a tree and overheard calls meant for him calling him all kinds of racial obscenities.”

“So, I was drawn to civil rights since I was a teenager,” Lapchick continued. “I went to graduate school and wrote my doctoral dissertation on how South Africa used sports as part of its foreign policy and then went on to found the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports at the University of Central Florida.”

“I learned that sports were a powerful platform to communicate about important social issues such as racism and sexism,” Lapchick said. “I think you can use the sports platform to talk about any social issue but that was the beginning.”

Lapchick may be working with Clements for the first time but he is no stranger to working with the sport of NASCAR on diversity initiatives. In fact, his association with the sport goes all the way back to 1997 when he met with NASCAR Chairman and CEO Brian France.

“When I moved to Orlando in 1997, I called on various sports leaders in the area and obviously Brian France was on that list,” Lapchick said. “I didn’t know NASCAR very well at that point and had only seen a few races on television.”

“When I met Brian France, he had done his homework and told me that he wanted NASCAR to look like America,” Lapchick said. “For some reason, I totally believed that he genuinely meant that not just because I was in the room.”

“Every dealing that I’ve had with NASCAR over these years has reinforced that,” Lapchick continued. “Brian asked me to be on the Diversity Council and appointed Magic Johnson and myself as Co-Chairs.”

“The turning point for NASCAR was when they hired Marcus Jadotte about six years ago,” Lapchick said. “We started talking about the diversity management training that we did and we ended up doing five consecutive years of training every NASCAR employee.”

“No other sport or entire industry has done it more than once,” Lapchick continued. “NASCAR is really trying to make a difference in changing the culture.”

“The Drive for Diversity program has started to move things forward and has made women and people of color more comfortable in the sport.”

So, how exactly will Dr. Lapchick work specifically with Jeremy Clements during his diversity rehabilitation?

“It will be educational to a large degree,” Lapchick said. “We will try to make him feel comfortable and safe.”

“Obviously he is in a difficult position right now,” Lapchick continued. “I’ll spend the first hour with him next Monday and then our team, that has done the diversity training for many sports, will meet with him for three hours.”

“We’ll take him through some exercises as we would do with anyone,” Lapchick said. “We’ll make it interactive and make him feel safe that he can say things that are important to him and to share feedback on those things.”

“We did this once before for NASCAR with a crew chief in 2009 and it was a positive experience,” Lapchick continued. “We’re anticipating that this will be as well.”

Lapchick admits that the length of the diversity education will be totally dependent on Clements.

“We’re also open, as is NASCAR, if we feel at the end of this that there is an ongoing need, we will recommend that,” Lapchick said. “With the crew chief we worked with, he was so open with the session that we didn’t think that additional time was necessary.”

“So, we will see how Monday goes and are open to ongoing discussions if needed.”

Given the Clements remark and suspension, is Lapchick concerned about the status of diversity in NASCAR?

“I think they are where the NBA was when David Stern became Commissioner,” Lapchick said. “In terms of the decision makers, there is representation of diversity in the leadership area.”

“But on the track, they are significantly further behind than the NBA or NFL in the 1980s,” Lapchick continued. “That will take time to catch up there.”

“But with who is in the pipeline in the Drive for Diversity program and their level of talent, I do see the possibility of more and more women and people of color in the sport,” Lapchick said. “And with Danica Patrick now in the sport she will inspire a whole lot of young girls to consider racing a car as a possibility.”

“I do see the progress,” Lapchick continued. “We do Racial and Gender report cards for the leagues and for various sports.”

“Now, they use that as a benchmark and leverage with their teams so that they can move to a better grade and build momentum,” Lapchick said. “That helps me want to stay doing what I’m doing.”

Lapchick was also impressed with some of the other drivers, especially those with a large fan base the likes of Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Jeff Gordon, speak out and support the NASCAR diversity policy.

“I think that was really important for the fans and other drivers to hear that these influential leaders on the track were willing to speak out and say what some would consider risky,” Lapchick said. “There are people who are pushing back on the fact that Jeremy was suspended.”

“But much to NASCAR’s credit, they decided that there is a zero tolerance policy about racism,” Lapchick continued. “The reaction of the drivers in the sport is important.”

While Lapchick is prepared to meet with Clements next week, he is currently engrossed in another social justice effort. He is at present assisting with rebuilding efforts in Long Island as the New York area recovers from Hurricane Sandy.

“It really started with New Orleans,” Lapchick said. “I was really disappointed and angry at the response after the storm.”

“We formed the organization that this week went to Long Island to help,” Lapchick continued. “Along with my diversity work, that has been most one of the most fulfilling things I’ve ever done.”

March 8, 2013
Sergio Pena Looks Forward to Freshman Year On and Off the Track

[media-credit name=”Photo Credit hometracks.nascar.com” align=”alignright” width=”262″][/media-credit]Sergio Pena, one of the graduates of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity Program, is looking forward to his freshman year of learning on and off the track. The young up and comer will soon enjoy his freshman run with a new race team on the track, as well as his freshman year off the track as a student at Radford University.

For his freshman year on the track, Pena will pilot the No. 1 Toyota Camry in the K&N Pro Series East with Hattori Racing Enterprises. The 18 year old from Winchester, Virginia had previously raced in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program with Revolution Racing.

“I’m really excited for this season,” Pena said. “I actually did not re-sign with Revolution Racing this year, who I was with for two years, but signed with a new team, Hattori Racing Enterprises.”

“My crew chief and Andy Santerre all left Revolution Racing and merged with Shigeaki Hattori and created a team for me to race in the K&N East Series.”

Santerre, a four-time champion in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, will manage Pena’s race team. He will be assisted by Matt Goslant, who will continue as crew chief for Pena, having worked with him last season, winning three of 12 races and finishing 5^th in the East Series point standings.

“I am excited to be working with Sergio again this season,” Goslant said. “He has the talent to be a champion and we are a good team together.”

“He gives me 100% and I could not ask for anything more in a driver.”

Although a freshman with Hattori Racing Enterprises, Pena actually will be entering his third year in the K&N Series. And with that experience, he has his eyes set on one goal for 2012.

“My main goal is to win a championship,” Pena said simply. “The first year I struggled learning all the tracks and how to drive the cars because they were a lot different than anything I had ever driven before.”

“Last year, I learned a lot and I caught on quicker than I thought I would,” Pena continued. “So this year, the way things are looking, I think we have a great chance to win it.”

“My goal is to win as many races as possible and just learn a lot,” Pena said. “I want to be able to get more comfortable at the bigger tracks like Dover and New Hampshire and Rockingham.”

“I want to gain experience and learn as much as I can from these guys.”

Pena, like so many racers, comes by it genetically. His father, who came to the United States from Bogota, Columbia when he was 19 years old raced go karts and dirt bikes in his home country.

“He was a two-time champion in national dirt bike racing down there,” Pena said proudly of his father. “So, that’s pretty cool. That’s where I get my racing blood from.”

Pena himself initially followed in his father’s dirt bike footsteps as he launched his racing career.

“I actually started racing dirt bikes when I was five years old,” Pena said. “I got into jumping them and one time I hit a jump and my dad said, “No more, I don’t want you getting hurt.”

“So, he got rid of the bike and got me a go kart instead,” Pena continued. “At the time, I was really upset but now I’m really happy about it.”

“I did go karts from when I was eight years old until thirteen,” Pena said. “Then I moved to a championship series out west and ran road courses in formula cars.”

“Then I had to switch to the ovals, where there was more of a future,” Pena continued. “When we heard about the Drive to Diversity Revolution Racing program, we thought that would be a great opportunity. And that’s how we got into this kind of racing.”

Pena has definitely put his go kart and dirt bike racing behind him, growing fonder for stock cars and oval racing. But the young driver has never forgotten his road racing roots.

“At this point, I like the ovals more,” Pena said. “But there still are some things I like about the road courses, like out-braking people and downshifting and all the switch-back turns.”

“The ovals just bring more excitement,” Pena continued. “You can beat and bang and everything’s really close. It’s a lot harder to win on an oval and so that just makes for more competitive and exciting racing.”

In addition to his on-track career, Pena’s other freshman activity includes starting his college career at Radford University in southern Virginia, where he is majoring in communications. As a freshman, Pena is facing that difficult task of balancing his studies with his new endeavors on the race track.

“It’s a lot harder than I thought it would be with racing,” Pena said. “Missing classes in high school wasn’t too bad but here it’s a little bit tougher to get them to understand that what I’m doing is not just a hobby anymore.”

“Some of them understand but some of them don’t,” Pena continued. “It’s the ones that want you to focus on school and nothing else that are a little tricky. But overall I’ve been able to manage it and I’ll continue to do both until it gets too hard.”

“I really think the communications degree is going to help, like with the media and doing interviews,” Pena said. “I’m also doing media production and I’ve gotten into making videos recently.”

“We have been making videos of the race weekend for promotions and sponsors,” Pena continued. “But being able to speak to the sponsors and the media fluently and well will help me a lot.”

Now that he has his first freshman semester under his belt at college, Pena is looking forward to kicking off his freshman year with Hattori Racing at a storied NASCAR track, Bristol Motor Speedway, on March 17^th.

“We actually start off at Bristol this year and that will be pretty cool,” Pena said. “I’ve never even been to Bristol before but I’ve heard a lot of great things about it and watched a lot of races on TV from there.”

“I’m really excited to get started there,” Pena continued. “I think that will be a pretty cool race.”

“I know we will definitely be one of the teams to beat this year.”

February 11, 2012