Elections Today
- Pennsylvania
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| State | Candidate | Delegates |
|---|---|---|
 Donald Trump | ||
Pennsylvania |  Joe Biden |
Marc Davis Isn't Your Typical Teenage Driver
Marc Davis has been called the Tiger Woods of NASCAR.
Sept. 16, 2007 — -- Seventeen-year-old Marc Davis is just like other kids his age. He plays videogames, likes to horse around with his friends, and takes driving lessons. But it's just that the car he drives is not exactly your father's Oldsmobile.
That's because Davis happens to be one of NASCAR's latest racing prodigies, whose early success and enormous potential are drawing comparisons to that other African-American phenom who blazed a trail in a historically white sport.
"I've been referred to as the Tiger Woods of NASCAR," said Davis. "But I don't like to think that because with racing, there's more than one person involved like there is in golf."
While Davis downplays such comparisons, NASCAR is hoping that Davis will have the same effect on racing that Woods has had on golf and the Williams sisters have had on tennis, drawing fans who don't traditionally follow those sports.
The only black driver to win a top flight NASCAR race was Wendell Scott, but that was 44 years ago. Since then few, such as Willy T. Ribbs and Bill Lester, have broken through the ranks and none with any consistent success. But now, racing insiders say Davis is the real deal.
Davis drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, whose owner is head coach of the Washington Redskins. Gibbs is no stranger to grooming pioneers. Under his watch, Doug Williams became the first Black quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl. Now Gibbs hopes to find a winning formula with the Maryland native. But since Gibbs is still prowling the sidelines on the gridiron, he has delegated most of the day-to-day operations to his son, J.D., who is quick to praise young Davis.
"As far as drivers, it's hard. It takes a lot of time. A big investment. And you have to have the skill. There's no -- either you're good or you're not. We think Marc really is good," said J.D. Gibbs, president of Joe Gibbs Racing.
Davis, for his part, is grateful to be a member of one of NASCAR's blue-chip teams, whose stable of drivers includes Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. When the last school bell rings at Mooresville Christian Academy, Davis heads over to the nearby Joe Gibbs shop in Huntersville, N.C., for his daily workout.
