Wendell Scott was eventually inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. He drove in the sport during the 1960s and early ’70s, and frequently faced abuse from fans, and in some instances even barred from competing at certain tracks in the country.
Warrick Scott told Motor Sport in a 2018 interview how the incident had affected his grandfather, and that the culture around the sport and the US at the time meant any justice was unlikely, particularly in the Deep South where he won.
“These were the places where Wendell and his crew were most likely to be run off the road, shot, cut into pieces and fed to the alligators, without anybody knowing,” Scott said.
“My grandfather was upset. He was really angry, but knew his surroundings and the odds mounting against him. At the time, the winner would go and kiss the local beauty queen. It was a white community festival, in a way.”
“My father needed the money,” his son Frank added, “but felt the trophy would have meant more. He never forgot that”.
