Nascar is out to prove that stock car racing goes be yond the Southern redneck sport cliche.
The motorsport’s governing body has teamed up with BET to air “Changing Lanes” (premiering Sept. 1), an eight-episode docu-reality series aimed at finding the next big minority or female NASCAR star.
Narrated by rapper Ludacris, the series highlights the efforts of 10 drivers — including African-Americans, Latinos and women — competing in elimination-style events for a coveted spot on series creator Max Siegel’s Revolution Racing team.
Siegel, a former executive at race team Dale Earnhardt Inc., was the highest-ranking African-American in NASCAR history.
The contestants — including Wayne, NJ’s 20-year-old Paulie Harraka, of Syrian descent — are hoping to follow in the footsteps of other famed minority NASCAR stars like newcomer Danica Patrick and Wendell Scott, the first African-American driver to win a Cup series race back in 1963.