Brad Daugherty, race car team owner

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

1

Everybody has it:

ESPN analyst Brad Daugherty will become the first black owner of a NASCAR team in the sport’s top series.

Daugherty said yesterday that he has become a partner in JTG Racing, which fields two Nationwide Series cars, and that JTG/Daugherty Racing will have a Sprint Cup car in 2009 driven by Marcus Ambrose.

“I’m proud that I’m the first African-American owner at this level,” Daugherty said. “I co-founded NASCAR’s diversity council about 15 years ago, and a lot of people have spent a lot of time to make this sport more inclusive. I hope this will open some doors for more minorities to become involved in this great sport.”

He said he hopes to announce plans for another Nationwide team for the 2009 season with a young driver.

Daugherty, 42, played basketball at North Carolina and in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He said he will continue in his role as a NASCAR analyst with ESPN.