Clark becomes 1st black majority owner of Sprint Cup team since '03

Boris Said will pair up with Rick Clark in Clark's new team, RCM/No Fear Racing. AP Tom Bowles's Mailbag Submit a comment or question for Tom. Name: Email: Hometown: Question: SEND

One of NASCAR's Most Popular drivers is getting a new lease on life -- with a twist. Boris Said announced an infusion of cash into his struggling operation Thursday, forming RCM / No Fear Racing with new ownership partner Rick Clark, the first African-American to own a Cup team in six years. The two plan to run 12-18 races this season with Said behind the wheel, anticipating additional funding to run a full-time schedule in 2010.

"It's no secret that our race team needed funding," explained Said. "However, if we were going to do anything, we felt like the partnership needed to make sense. When Rick Clark came to us and outlined his program, there were so many synergies on and off the track that it just made sense for us."

That synergy runs far deeper than just motorsports. Clark has a long-term plan to market to the sport's minority audience. Claiming he'd like to find the sport's "Tiger Woods," RCM / No Fear will start up teams in NASCAR's lower series, specifically selecting women and minority drivers who can develop over the next few seasons. The goal is to have a teammate at the Cup level for Said by no later than 2012.

Said has been begging anyone who would listen for a chance at racing for a Sprint Cup Championship. A road racing expert, he contended for wins at Infineon and Watkins Glen but never got much of a shot on the ovals, never running more than nine races per season on the Cup schedule. Debuting at Atlanta in the No. 60 Ford, this gives his team the cash infusion it needs to not only survive, but also thrive in this tough economy. But at 46, Said knows his days behind the wheel are numbered ... and he's excited to be a part of a future project that could change the landscape of the sport in the long-term.

"Boris in not your 'cookie-cutter' driver," Clark said of the road-racing veteran who's also won a pole at Daytona in a Cup car. "He has a wide appeal, and will serve us well in developing young drivers who might not otherwise have a shot in the sport."

Those young drivers are rumored to be men like motocross champ "Bubba" Stewart, Drive For Diversity graduates Marc Davis and Chris Bristol, and Mexican driver Rogelio Lopez. Whoever gets selected, the long-term plan is for Said and Clark to partner with Nationwide and Truck Series programs to get these drivers an opportunity in top-level equipment to prove themselves under the RCM / No Fear banner. Those partnerships could begin as early as later this year.

"We fully appreciate the works of NASCAR's Drive For Diversity program and hope to enhance those efforts," Clark added, acknowledging the initiative NASCAR already has in place to develop diversity drivers. With the funding in place, the team hopes to work with newly-appointed Max Siegel, Marcus Jadotte, and other officials to hopefully put successful drivers in position to compete for rides within the organization.

To support those efforts off the track, Clark plans a groundbreaking marketing program designed to diversify NASCAR's fan base. Debuting a clothing line called "Krewe Wear" in association with his program, the team will look to market an entire brand of NASCAR-related merchandise to urban America, using some of the profits to expand and develop their program. Down the road, the team wants to visit schools in inner city D.C., New York, and throughout the United States to teach them about the sport, creating a mobile marketing program that involves interactive exhibits, motivational speakers, and more.

"We have several verticals that all work together to create a comprehensive program," explained Clark. "Those verticals will not only work to encourage minorities to attend races, but to make NASCAR part of the various minority cultures to create a feeling of ownership in the sport among those groups."

It's easy to be skeptical when it comes to this type of program; after all, several minority owners have dabbled in NASCAR only to pull out within a few years (Julius Erving and Joe Washington are the most notable examples). But this one smells different. The development of Clark's program was a long time coming, taking several years and multiple failed deals to finally come to fruition. That shows a serious commitment, as does the track record of the man tying all the team's investments together -- Al Tindall. A notable Wall Street lawyer who's tied together over $25 billion in investment deals, the group he's collected appears committed towards achieving a goal far larger than financial gain.

"As a team, we not only look forward to making a positive contribution to NASCAR's continued proud legacy," Tindall says. "We also recognize the broader opportunity here for us to inspire greater participation by a more diverse group of fans throughout this country and around the world."

"In addition, we view this investment in Rick Clark Motorsports and No Fear significant because it represents more than an investment in a race team. It represents an opportunity to show the world that with vision, commitment and hard work we can blend the best of the past of NASCAR with the hope of the future for this team, this sport and this country."

If this project takes off, Tindall's comments will ring true; in NASCAR these days, you need money as much as you need talent, and the millions in funding has potential to finally match that up with strong diversity candidates. For five years, the Drive For Diversity program has allowed minorities to star in lower divisions, but has never been able to put the funding together with the right teams to allow them to move up the sport's AA, AAA, or major league levels. Now, RCM / No Fear will offer that opportunity, specifically focused on getting drivers that chance they otherwise would have never been offered.

Only time will tell if the team can live up to that responsibility. But for the first time in its 61-year history, the sport has the equivalent of the NFL's Rooney Rule, a team committed to giving minority candidates a chance. It's a welcome change for a sport concerned about stagnancy, and a necessary one if NASCAR is truly on the path to shedding an old school image as a "white man's" sport. But the concept remains a challenge, which is why it's appropriate the team has chosen to keep the name "No Fear."