NASCAR has a problem. A big, potentially catastrophic problem

For years NASCAR has tried to shake the perception that it's a southern-based sport populated by rebel-flag waving, good ol' boy rednecks. In '04 NASCAR initiated a drive for diversity program, and while there are several young minority drivers currently being cultivated in the program, there aren't any full-time African-American drivers in NASCAR's top three series. And if you've taken regular looks into the stands at tracks across the country for the last four years, as I have, you'd see that the racial component of the crowds hasn't appreciably changed over that time. The fans are still overwhelmingly white, like 99 percent white.

I've spent a little bit of time around inspectors in the Cup series, and my experience is that I've never heard any inappropriate racial or sexual remarks. But I do wear a credential that says Sports Illustrated on it, so as long as they can read, they'd know not to say anything lewd around me. I have no idea if Grant's claims have merit, but the lawsuit certainly feeds the perception that NASCAR has a race problem.

Which is why I'm guessing that NASCAR will try to settle this case as quickly as possible. This is nothing but bad PR for the sport, and the longer it lingers, the more hits NASCAR's image will take. But if Grant pushes this all the way through the legal system and her attorney deposes all of the defendants listed in the lawsuit, well, this case, one way or another, could shatter all of the perception problems that NASCAR has. Because in the light of the courtroom, perception will become reality. Full story at SI.com