The event at the Virginia Museum of Natural History, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., has been organized to honor Scott’s memory and to encourage NASCAR to recognize him in its new Hall of Fame, which opens next May in Charlotte , NC . The event will be held in the Walker Lecture Hall.

Wendell Scott Recognition Day will include a film about Scott’s life, an exhibition of vintage stock cars from the 1950s and ‘60s, and a display of paintings of Scott and his race cars by Martinsville artist Alexir (Lex) Hairston, the event’s chief organizer. There will be several speakers (including author Brian Donovan), and the event admission is free. This will be the last week to receive $2 discount to enter the Virginia Museum of Natural History, so do not miss this opportunity to celebrate and learn about a missing piece of history!

Scott was not included on the recently released list of 25 possible NASCAR Hall of Fame inductees, and his omission has sparked a growing controversy.

Hairston, whose paintings of Scott have been displayed in Roanoke’s art museum, said those who attend the event will have the opportunity to sign a petition asking NASCAR to honor Scott.

The petition says: “We urge NASCAR to recognize Wendell Scott’s pioneering accomplishments as a racer in the new NASCAR Hall of Fame. We believe that the facility should include an exhibit honoring Scott’s unique struggle and his passion for racing. We request that Scott be nominated in the near future for consideration as an inductee.”  The controversy over Scott’s absence from the recent list of Hall of Fame nominees began with an article in the Bristol Herald Courier on July 3. The author, sportswriter Allen Gregory, who covers NASCAR, criticized the “snub” and wrote that “the nomination of Scott would have been huge for a sport that lags miles behind on the diversity curve.”

Gregory wrote that Scott had “endured years of neglect, abuse and outright treachery at many levels” of NASCAR racing. His article said “it appears all those splashy press conferences and impassioned speeches on diversity from NASCAR officials in recent years were just empty platitudes.”

Many of Scott’s difficulties with NASCAR are documented in “Hard Driving.” The book’s website is www.harddriving.us . At the Recognition Day event, Hairston’s portraits of Scott and autographed copies of “Hard Driving” will be available for purchase.

The Bristol Herald Courier story, reprinted in other newspapers and racing websites, has been followed by more articles critical of NASCAR in online publications such as insiderracingnews.com, blackvoices.com and faniq.com. Hairston said those who support the petition but can’t attend the Sept. 12 event should email their comments to him at AHHMSH@yahoo.com .