In a historic election year, thoughts on diversity

By DAVID GREEN

NASCAR's Drive for Diversity seems to have taken on a lower volume level in recent years, with more attention focused on grassroots development and less hype about the Great Minority Hope taking the Cup Series by storm.

That's as it should be. Instant promotion to the big leagues, just for diversity's sake, would be a very bad idea. Every driver, regardless of race, creed, color or religious affiliation, should pay his or her dues and demonstrate worthiness.

Of course, that's a "perfect world" concept. It hasn't always been that way, and it isn't now. Many a driver has been accused, a good many of them rightfully so, of buying his way into a ride he never would've gotten strictly on merit. Many others have used economics in an indirect way -- by showing themselves to be excellent representatives of a sponsor outside the cockpit. In some cases, it seems that has offset underwhelming performance on the track.

So far, the biggest diversity splash in American racing has been made by women, one in particular. Danica Patrick has her share of critics, both personally and professionally, but she has impressed all the right people so far in her IRL IndyCar Series career.

You just know NASCAR has to be envious of Formula One for its newest star, Lewis Hamilton, the first black driver in the international series. Auto racing's version of Tiger Woods is a Brit, not an American, and he races open-wheel grand prix cars. As American voters gear up to in all likelihood elect the country's first black president on Tuesday, Hamilton is on the cusp today of becoming F1 champion.

Hamilton has been a controversial figure since he was named to drive for McLaren on the heels of his 2006 championship in GP2, the top F1 feeder series. Some of the controversy has been about his race, but most of it has been about his racing -- specifically, that he's a ruthless driver and is considered dangerous by some of his rivals.

Racial reactions have come mostly from Spain, where Hamilton has been jeered and heckled during races and practice sessions and where a "virtual voodoo" Web site has been set up in the hope of jinxing Hamilton's drive today in the Brazilian Grand Prix at Sao Paulo. F1's governing body, the Federation Internationale d' le'Automobile (FIA), has condemned the racism.

Economic problems that threaten auto racing and every other aspect of American life may have a negative impact on the Drive for Diversity, too, but assuming the sport survives, it will continue to evolve. The evolution will surely include changes in the diversity of drivers.

Hopefully, racing organizations will require solid pedigrees of all participants.