The newly filed case accuses the racing organization of discriminating against black drivers and black-owned racing teams.
In a new report by Reuters, details of the lawsuit are unveiled showing that the plaintiff, Terrance Cox and his racing company, Diversity Motorsports Racing LLC, are accusing NASCAR of preventing black teams and drivers from competing – including the Sprint Cup Series.
Seeking $500 million dollars total in compensatory and punitive damages, this lawsuit comes just months after NASCAR made headlines when Tony Stewart drew criticism upon the organization for failing to require enough lug nuts on the vehicles and accused them of jeopardizing safety.
The plaintiffs claim that there are no black drivers present in the Sprint Cup Series in an effort to further substantiate the allegations of racial discrimination that they’ve lodged against NASCAR, its parent company, and 18 independently-owned teams.
The suit alleges that the plaintiffs were barred from participating in NASCAR’s “Drive For Diversity” program, and were even told to ‘cease contact’ by the racing organization.
An attorney representing the plaintiffs stated that any money awarded would be given to groups that support minority participation in motorsports.
This new suit comes just days after documentary filmmaker, Morgan Spurlock, dropped a breach-of-contract lawsuit against NASCAR that accused them of backing out of a film deal.
After the lawsuit was filed on Friday, September 16th, NASCAR released a statement denouncing it.
“Diversity both on and off the track continues to be a top priority for NASCAR and its stakeholders. We stand behind our actions, and will not let a publicity-seeking legal action deter us from our mission.”
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