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Danville, Va., City Council approves naming highway after Wendell Scott

NASCAR Driver Wendell Scott

Wendell Scott poses for a portrait in his car as he became the first African-American driver to win in the NASCAR Cup division with a victory in 1963 at Jacksonville Speedway Park in Jacksonville, Florida. Scott was NASCAR’s first black competitor, starting in the sportsman class in 1953. (Photo by ISC Archives via Getty Images)

ISC Archives via Getty Images

NASCAR Hall of Famer Wendell Scott will be recognized by his hometown of Danville, Virginia, with a highway bearing his name.

The Danville City Council approved a measure last week to name the US 58/29 bypass after Scott, the only African-American to win a NASCAR Cup Series race.

The stretch of road will be named the Wendell O. Scott Sr. Memorial Highway.

“I want to thank city council and city management for being in such agreement for this type of honor,” Wendell Scott Foundation CEO Warrick Scott told the Chatham Star Tribune after the item honoring his grandfather was approved. “It is a huge step in crystallizing my grandfather’s legacy and making him available for the masses.”

Scott, who died Dec. 23, 1990 at 69, was elected to the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015. He made 495 Cup starts. In addition to his win, he earned 20 top fives and 147 top 10s.

Danville had previously named a street after Scott.