NASCAR Looking To Court Latinos

By Michael Lopez

Why is it that Latinos always get associated with thumping "Low Riders," but never the high-classed racing machines on the stock car circuit? Believe it or not, NASCAR is wondering the same thing and is currently working on courting Hispanic drivers for their championship events.

As of right now, only one Latino is listed in the NASCAR Top 20. But Colombia's Juan Pablo Montoya (currently ranked #17) is rising fast. The former Formula One racer placed 6th in this year's Daytona 500 and won the pole for the Crown Royal 400.

But in the sea of Anglo drivers, his name does tend to get lost in the shuffle. Even Juan Carlos Blum, who got a ton of notoriety for his tricked-out Pitbull car, failed to make a dent this year. Of course, that hasn't stopped NASCAR's Multicultural Development Department from figuring out new ways to add some Español to the mix.

"[Diversity] is at the very core of our business," NASCAR Multicultural VP, Marcus Jadotte said. "We believe it is essential for NASCAR going forward to further diversify the field of competitors, the drivers and crew members, the athletes at the core of our sport. It’s a leading corporate and industry initiative."

Just this past month, the racing organization held its annual Drive for Diversity event. An all-inclusive automotive training ground, the Drive program reaches out to all minorities. This year brought a ton of up-and-coming Hispanic speed demons, including Sergio Peña, Jorge Arteaga, and Bryan Ortiz.

The company has also formed an offshoot called NASCAR Mexico, which is meant to build enthusiasm among the Spanish-speaking audience. Of course, courting serious drivers in Central American countries isn't quite as easy as it seems.

The opportunity to practice on a track, let alone afford a stock car is not very feasible for most struggling Latino families. Nevertheless, Jadotte does seem optimistic about giving Hispanic fans the opportunity to pursue their NASCAR dreams.

"Most kids in [these countries] don’t have an opportunity to go to a race track and take up auto racing as a 5- or 6-year-old," Marcus acknowledged. "We are far from where we want to be. [But] we’ve made significant strides."

Would you like to see more Latinos on the NASCAR tracks? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Cultura, Juan Carlos Blum, Juan Pablo Montoya, Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR, NASCAR Mexico, Sergio Peña, Sports