Leonard W. Miller's license plate from his 1940 Ford Club Coupe Convertible hot rod, 1953
date: label: date made
content: 1953
name: label: user
content: Miller, Leonard W.
notes: label: Description (Brief)
content: Leonard W. Miller's license plate from his 1940 Ford Club Coupe Convertible hot rod which he owned at West Chester State Teacher's College in 1953. The hot rod was the genesis of his interest in fielding a professional African American auto racing team.
label: Description (Brief)
content: In 1969, Len Miller and his brother Dexter for Miller Racing to race hot rods on the drag racing circuit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Northeast. With success on the racetrack he formed Vanguard Racing in 1972 and was the first African American to enter a car in the Indianapolis 500. He then went on to found the Black American Racers Association in 1973. The goal of the organization was to “unify African-American drivers in all types of racing – stock car, open wheel, and drag racing -- pave the way for greater success and introduce race fans to African-American’s history in motorsports.”
label: Description (Brief)
content: Later that same year the Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR) was formed with Benny Scott as their second generation African-American driver. Also in 1973, BAR became the first team to have an African American driver compete in England. In 1975, BAR driver Benny Scott would break the color barrier at the Long Beach Grand Prix, when the team entered a Formula 5000 car in the inaugural race. Len and Benny Scott were inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame for their achievements in motorsports in 1976. In 1978, BAR experienced a setback when their driver Tommy Thompson was killed in an accident at the Trenton Speedway. Many of the team members took a break after this tragedy and in the 1980s the team turned toward stock car racing.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
topic: label: name of sport
content: auto racing
label: level of sport
content: Professional
label: web subject
content: African American
setName: label: See more items in
content: Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
label: See more items in
content: Sports & Leisure
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: 2016.3189.29
label: nonaccession number
content: 2016.3189
label: catalog number
content: 2016.3189.29
objectType: label: Object Name
content: license plate, auto racing
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 6 in x 10 1/2 in; 15.24 cm x 26.67 cm