Object Details
- Description (Brief)
- Steering wheel taken from the Black American Racers, Inc. Formula Super Vee, Lola T-620 race car driven by African American driver Tommy Thompson during his fatal crash at Trenton Speedway on September 23, 1978. Tommy Thompson was a race car driver for the Black American Racers Inc from 1976 until his death in 1978.
- In 1969, Len Miller and his brother Dexter for Miller Racing to race hot rods on the drag racing circuit in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and the Northeast. With success on the racetrack he formed Vanguard Racing in 1972 and was the first African American to enter a car in the Indianapolis 500. He then went on to found the Black American Racers Association in 1973 with Wendell Scott, Ron Hines and Malcolm Durham, who were members of the Black American Racers Association. The goal of the organization was to “unify African-American drivers in all types of racing – stock car, open wheel, and drag racing -- pave the way for greater success and introduce race fans to African-American’s history in motorsports.”
- Later that same year the Black American Racers, Inc. (BAR) was formed with Benny Scott as their second generation African-American driver. Also in 1973, BAR became the first team to have an African American driver compete in England. In 1975, BAR driver Benny Scott would break the color barrier at the Long Beach Grand Prix, when the team entered a Formula 5000 car in the inaugural race. Len and Benny Scott were inducted into the Black Athletes Hall of Fame for their achievements in motorsports in 1976. In 1978, BAR experienced a setback when their driver Tommy Thompson was killed in an accident at the Trenton Speedway. Many of the team members took a break after this tragedy and in the 1980s the team turned toward stock car racing.
- Location
- Currently on loan
- Credit Line
- Gift of Ronald Hines
- ID Number
- 2016.0309.01
- accession number
- 2016.0309
- catalog number
- 2016.0309.01
- Object Name
- steering wheel
- Physical Description
- metal (overall material)
- leather (overall material)
- Measurements
- overall: 1 in x 10 1/4 in; 2.54 cm x 26.035 cm
- See more items in
- Culture and the Arts: Sport and Leisure
- Sports & Leisure
- National Museum of American History
- name of sport
- auto racing
- level of sport
- Professional
- web subject
- African American
- Record ID
- nmah_1823424
- GUID (Link to Original Record)
- https://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746b2-cc9e-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa
