Basketball is the sport that made Brad Daugherty famous. The center from Black Mountain, N.C. was an All-American at North Carolina in 1986, and went on to make five NBA All-Star teams as one of the greatest players in Cavaliers history.
However, racing has always been close to Daugherty’s heart. His No. 43 jersey was chosen to honor legendary NASCAR driver Richard Petty, and he co-owns the NASCAR Cup Series’ JTG Daugherty Racing team.
On Sunday, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. won the Daytona 500 representing JTG Daugherty Racing, making Daugherty the first Black owner to win the Daytona 500. Daugherty reflected on the honor in an interview by NASCAR.com’s Zack Albert.
“I sat there for a second. And I was like … We just won the Daytona 500. I realized I was by myself, but I was like, ‘O.K., this is really great, because you’re talking to yourself,'” Daugherty said, noting that he watched the race at home after an abrupt eye surgery.
The basketball great looked back on his upbringing in Black Mountain, where he embraced outdoor pursuits in a predominantly white town.
"When I came along and got involved, I mean, it was very stark. And I realized a lot of days that my face was the only face of color at the entire track," Daugherty said. "It was humbling in some respects, but it was never a deterrent. I was never going to let anyone tell me where I couldn’t go, because of the color of my skin, and I’m always going to do whatever I want to do. And so I think that attitude served me well.”
