page_title: Drive for Diversity
section_title: Other drivers
hierarchical_section_title: Drive for Diversity / Impact on NASCAR / Other drivers
caption_attribution_description: NASCAR driver w:Danica Patrick during driver's introductions at the 2012 Sargento 200 Nationwide Series race at Road America. This file was uploaded with Commonist.
context_page_description: The Drive for Diversity program is a development system instituted by the American auto racing league NASCAR. The program's purpose is to attract minority and female individuals to the sport, primarily as drivers, but also including ownership, sponsorship, and crew member roles, and to attract a more diverse audience to the sport. Before an applicant is accepted into the program, their resumes are checked by NASCAR officials. The system is similar to a driver development program where applicants progress through minor-league and regional racing levels to prepare them for a possible shot at one of NASCAR's three national series. The program was started during the 2004 season by NASCAR marketing executives in order to attract minority fans and drivers to the historically white and male-dominated sport. The year before, Joe Gibbs Racing, along with former athletes Reggie White and Magic Johnson, had started a similar program.
context_section_description: Outside of the program, minority and female drivers continue to be scarce on the NASCAR scene. Cuban-American driver Aric Almirola, a member of Joe Gibbs Racing's original diversity program, currently drives full-time in Stewart-Haas Racing' 10 car in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series. Almirola is considered one of the most successful products of any diversity initiative within the sport, as well as the highest profile Latino driver in NASCAR, with two wins to his name. Leaving JGR in mid-2007 with one win in the Nationwide Series, Almirola drove Ginn Racing's 01 car and Earnhardt Ganassi Racing's 8 car in the Sprint Cup Series until losing his ride due to lack of sponsorship in 2009. After reclaiming his career with Billy Ballew Motorsports in the truck series and JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, Almirola was signed to drive for RPM in 2012, winning at Daytona International Speedway in July 2014.
  Former IndyCar Series racer Danica Patrick drove for Stewart-Haas Racing in their No. 10 Chevrolet SS, from 2012 - 2017, joined by her longtime partner Go Daddy. She is the first female Cup driver to be signed to a full season contract. A winner in IRL competition, Patrick also drove for JR Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series and Nationwide Series before signing with Stewart-Haas in 2012,  and going full-time in the Cup series for 2013. Patrick is the first woman to win the pole for the Daytona 500, and the first rookie to win the pole since Jimmie Johnson in 2002. Patrick also ran the fastest pole speed for the 500 in 23 years, timing in at 45.817 seconds.
  Jennifer Jo Cobb is one of few female drivers other than Patrick to run full-time in the three top touring series in recent memory. Cobb made her debut in the Nationwide Series in 2004, and currently drives in the Camping World Truck Series. Cobb is not only a full-time driver, but also the owner of her No. 10 truck for Jennifer Jo Cobb Racing, which is a successor to Circle Bar Racing and ppc Racing. The team also runs a second No. 0 truck as a start and park entry, though it attempted to run the full race at Eldora Speedway in 2013 and 2014 with Jennifer Jo's father Joe Cobb. Though the team runs full-time, lack of funding and second-hand equipment (often running old Dodge Rams without factory support) often results in back-of-the-pack finishes for Cobb.
  Colombian-born Juan Pablo Montoya, a winner in CART and Formula 1 and the 2000 Indianapolis 500 winner, began running full-time in the Sprint Cup Series with Chip Ganassi Racing in 2007. Juan scored two victories in his career (both coming at road course races), and came close to winning at oval tracks on several occasions. In spite of this, he finished in the top 10 in points only once and departed from full-time NASCAR competition after 2013. Another former open-wheel driver, Brazilian Nelson Piquet, Jr. scored two victories in the Truck Series and one in a part-time Nationwide season, but struggled in his first full Nationwide season in 2013 and was released from Turner Scott Motorsports. Piquet, Jr would make his Cup debut in 2014. Other Latino former open-wheel drivers to run in NASCAR include Michel Jourdain Jr. and Adrián Fernández, who ran Busch Series schedules with ppc Racing and Hendrick Motorsports respectively.
  From 2000 to 2007, African American driver Bill Lester was a mainstay in the truck series, driving for Bobby Hamilton Racing, Bill Davis Racing, and Billy Ballew Motorsports. Lester was a part of Dodge's and BHR's diversity initiative before signing with Davis on talent alone in 2004, and was notable for his strong qualifying efforts. Lester also made two starts for Davis in the Cup Series, the first African American racer in the series since Willy T. Ribbs. Mexican-born Carlos Contreras has also found longevity in the Nationwide and Truck Series, but has only run three full schedules in his career (and none since 2002), with only 5 top 10s to his credit.
caption: Danica Patrick at Road America in 2012.
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