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Yes, you did read that headline correctly.
America First Legal, which is backed by former Donald Trump advisor Stephen Miller, is suing NASCAR as well as Rev Racing over what it claims is racial discrimination against white drivers.
Make of that what you will.
Rev Racing is a team that works with NASCAR at the lower levels on its Drive For Diversity initiative. The program works to promote female and minority drivers.
NASCAR Cup Series stars Kyle Larson, Bubba Wallace and Daniel Suárez each came through the program.
Lawsuit Claims NASCAR Is Discriminating Against ‘White, Male Americans’
America First Legal asked the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to investigate NASCAR and Rev Racing for “illegal discrimination against White, male Americans.”
The suit claims that NASCAR and Rev Racing’s DEI programs—including its “diversity driver development program,” “diversity pit crew development program,” and the “NASCAR diversity internship program”— violate Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits discrimination based on race and sex.
Riddhi Setty of Bloomberg Law reports that the tactic is nothing new for Miller and America First Legal.
“Over the past year AFL has accused more than a dozen companies—including Morgan Stanley, Major League Baseball, McDonald’s, and Starbucks—of having discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion programs,” Setty writes. “The EEOC has yet to publicly respond to the group’s requests, which potentially put the civil rights agency in the difficult position of probing corporate policies aimed at reducing workplace discrimination.”
Of course, the numbers don’t exactly support the lawsuit’s claim.
There are only four drivers on the current NASCAR Cup Series grid that come from minority backgrounds. They are Wallace, who is black, Larson (Japanese-American), Aric Almirola (Cuban-American), and Suárez (Mexican-American).
Almirola recently announced his retirement from the sport following the completion of the 2023 season/