Nearly two years ago, Tia Norfleet told Sporting News that she was working toward becoming the first female African-American driver in NASCAR and hoping to pave the way for other African-American drivers to enter the sport. Since then, she’s been promoting herself as an accomplished driver working her way through the NASCAR ranks and claims that she plans to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year.
But, according to a report in The New York Times, much of what Norfleet has been promoting is not true.
According to a March 6 story in The New York Times, Norfleet is not licensed to compete in NASCAR and has drawn the ire of NASCAR officials for the way she has been promoting herself.
“I am uncomfortable with Tia representing herself in the way that she has,” Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR’s vice president for public affairs and multicultural development, told The New York Times.
In May of 2011, Norfleet, the daughter of former NASCAR driver Bobby Norfleet, told Sporting News that she planned to make her NASCAR debut later that year and hoped pave the way for other African-American women to race.
“That’s one of the things I want to change,” Norfleet said in an interview with SN’s David Steele. “We want to bring a different light to NASCAR. You ask the average person, black, what NASCAR is, and they say, ‘You drive around in a circle, and that’s it—so what?’
“Well,” she continued, “they don’t see anyone there they recognize, or that they can identify with.”
Norfleet has made similar comments and told a similar story in several media interviews over the past two years, including with such media outlets as ESPNw, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and Essence Magazine.
Now one website is calling her story a hoax and comparing her to Manti Te’o.
According to The New York Times, much of Norfleet’s story does not ring true.
According to The Times, a press release distributed by Platinum Sports Entertainment Group, which represents her, claims that Norfleet is “the first and only African-American female driver in NASCAR and ARCA.”
Norfleet’s website, TiaNorfleet34.com, also says that she planned to race in the NASCAR Nationwide Series this year.
But according to The Times, Norfleet is not licensed to compete in NASCAR nor ARCA, another stock-car racing series, and the only NASCAR-sanctioned event she has competed in was in a low-level event last year at the Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., where she completed just one lap before parking her car.
The Times also reports that Norfleet, who is from Augusta, Ga., has a criminal record in Georgia and Virginia and was found guilty in 2005 and 2009 of assault and drug-related offenses.
NASCAR officials told The Times that they were concerned about the way Norfleet has been promoting herself in interviews and on her website.
“Ms. Norfleet is one of thousands of individuals who have purchased licenses in the Late Model Division of our sport,” Jadotte said in an e-mail. “I am uncomfortable with attempts Ms. Norfleet and her representatives have made to forgo the sport’s development process.”
NASCAR has run a Drive for Diversity program since 2004 designed to help develop minority drivers and has selected several African-American drivers to participate in the program. African-American driver Darrell Wallace Jr. came through the program and currently is racing full time in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.
NASCAR officials said Norfleet was never invited to participate in the program, despite her father’s participation in the truck series in the early ’90s.
When asked by the Times about her career and claims about her racing background, Norfleet said, “I’ve been racing in non-sanctioned races before. I’ve been racing forever. For as long as I can remember. I race in non-sanctioned races.”
Norfleet responded to The Times report on her website by saying, “I'm not going to let a biased, smear campaign stop me. I've been dealing with this type of obstruction since I got my license back in 2010.”
Poster Comment:
sneakypete posted this article on LP and then just about killed me with his commentary on it. I have been under the weather now for a bit over a week with a bad cold/flu (or something, whatever it is, it has been a mean sob). And I laughed at the comments sneaky made until I thought I was going to start up coughing again, something I surely didn't need.
“I am uncomfortable with Tia representing herself in the way that she has,” Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR’s vice president for public affairs and multicultural development, told The New York Times.
Ahhhhh,NASCAR now has a 3rd world diplomatic representative! How SPECIAL!
I think they should pass a rule where any race with a non-white driver all the white drivers should be required to race with 2 flat tires to promote equality.
If the driver is a "two-fer" (off-white AND female) or a "three-fer" (off-white and going through a sex-change operation and unsure about what they are,all the white drivers should have to race with 4 flat tires.
If the victim of white racism is a "Four or more-fer" (off-white,trans-gendered,cross-eyed,left-handed,Muslim,and don't know how to drive,all the white drivers should be required to push they cars.
Hey! It's all about equality and fairness!
She's obviously been working the black racist contribution network. Bill Cosby,for one,contributed tens of thousands of dollars to the last black guy that entered NASCAR,and Cosby was far from being the only one. That guy did ok,but nothing special. Despite what the left wants everybody to believe,not EVERYBODY can win no matter what color they are. That's why they call it competitive sports. They all compete and only the best drivers with the best cars win. Which is why the "intellectuals" turn their noses down at NASCAR.
Norfleet has made similar comments and told a similar story in several media interviews over the past two years, including with such media outlets as ESPNw, The Washington Post, Huffington Post and Essence Magazine.
And the leftists ate it up with a spoon.
But according to The Times, Norfleet is not licensed to compete in NASCAR nor ARCA, another stock-car racing series, and the only NASCAR-sanctioned event she has competed in was in a low-level event last year at the Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Va., where she completed just one lap before parking her car.
No doubt she is going to complain she was intimidated by all those white men,and thought she saw a burning cross.
Besides,in 21st Century America running one lap is finishing the race,isn't it? After all,we wouldn't want to damage her self-esteem by giving her the idea she wasn't a winner. EVERYBODY is a winner in 21st Century America!
Ceptin' doze ebil white debbils,dat iz.
sneakypete posted on 2013-03-12 8:46:40 ET Reply Trace
