Sam Belnavis, NASCAR’s First Full-Time Car Owner and Diversity Pioneer, Dies at 81

Sam Belnavis, a former NASCAR general manager and team owner who became the first racial minority to serve as owner of a full-time Cup team, died Wednesday. News of the death of Belnaviswas shared by NASCAR.com.

Belnavis, an African American who joined Miller Brewing Company in the late 1970s and headed the company’s sports marketing division, first broke into NASCAR in the 1980s when he signed NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Bobby Allison to a sponsorship deal. Allison would go on to be sponsored by Miller from 1983 until the end of his career in 1988, winning a Winston Cup Championship and Daytona 500 during that time.

Belnavis would go on to serve in multiple other roles in NASCAR, most notably as a co-owner of BelCar Motorsports with Travis Carter. The Belnavis team would use the No. 54 Ford full-time during the 2003 season with Todd Bodine as the driver and sponsor of the US National Guard. The team scored a top 10 finish, finishing 8th at Pocono Raceway.

Belnavis left the team at the end of the 2003 season for Roush Racing, where he would later become Chief Diversity Officer and appointed owner of the team. Belnavis was also integral to the launch of NASCAR’s drive for diversity program.

“We are saddened by the passing of Sam Belnavis, a true pioneer in motorsport whose tireless work has helped foster an inclusive environment in NASCAR,” said a NASCAR statement. “For more than 30 years, his efforts as a team owner and executive, as well as his work to support the launch of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program, have helped introduce NASCAR career opportunities to people of color. NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to Sam’s friends and family.”

Belnavis’ impact on stock car racing continues as NASCAR’s Black Employee Resource Group is named the Belnavis Collective in recognition of him. NASCAR states that the Belnavis Collective “will continue to honor him through his mission and goals.”

In the two decades since Belnavis owned a Cup Series team, minority investment in the highest levels of stock car racing has been and continues to grow. There are currently two Black car owners in the Cup Series as former NBA All-Stars Michael Jordan and Brad Daugherty co-own 23XI Racing and JTG Daugherty Racing, respectively.

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