Aaron McFarling

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MARTINSVILLE -- NASCAR Craftsman Trucks driver Brendan Gaughan can't help but make you smile.

Whether he's ripping on somebody's jump shot or waxing poetic on his hometown of Las Vegas or breaking down the Final Four (he's always good at this, but he's got a vested interest this year; he played hoops at Georgetown), the man knows how to carry a room.

But when the topic turns to diversity in racing -- and it often can, considering the atypical racial makeup of his No. 77 South Point Racing pit crew -- Gaughan morphs just a bit. He listens to the question a little more intensely. His eyes get a little more serious.

"So I happen to have the only the only team that has three black men that go over the wall for me," Gaughan said with a shrug. "I don't care. I'll have seven. I want the best people."

No reason to doubt him. But considering NASCAR has made such a big deal out of its Drive For Diversity program, an initiative to get more minorities and women into the sport, surely this was a factor in his hiring decisions, no?

"It didn't have anything to do with it from my standpoint," Gaughan said. "I played at Georgetown. I'm offended almost that there needs to be a diversity program.

"I'm glad they have it. Before I get in trouble by saying that, I'm glad they have it. Because they need it. They need it. But to me, that weighs no factor in who I hire. I will hire a woman to go over the wall for me if she is the best woman for the job.

"I will hire a man for the job. I don't care. But for me, the diversity aspect had nothing to do with it other than I wanted the best people. So they happen to be black."

But are there enough people in NASCAR who think like Gaughan?

"No comment," Gaughan said. "No comment."

Right there. That's what stops you in your tracks. Because Brendan Gaughan telling you "No comment" is like Jimmy Buffett telling you to take it easy on the booze. There must be issues.

And there is an issue, obviously, if Calvin Gravely, Chris Justice and Michael Harris will be the only three black men climbing over the wall to service a truck during Saturday's Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.

NASCAR obviously still has a long way to go. But if you want to know how this Drive For Diversity thing can work, how minorities and women really can break through in this predominately white, male sport, all you have to do is look at this team.

Gravely is nothing short of an inspiration. Like many others, the Martinsville native used to work in the textile industry until the Tultex Corp. moved out of the country, leaving him jobless. An experienced mechanic, Gravely had no idea what to do, but he did know he didn't want to go somewhere and get laid off again.

Growing up around Martinsville Speedway, he'd always had a curiosity about the racing industry. He decided to give it a shot, signing up for motorsports classes at Patrick Henry Community College.

"You've heard the term, 'Follow your dreams'?" Gravely said. "That's not just a statement, man. That's real."

With the help of the Drive For Diversity program, Gravely hooked up with a small team in North Carolina. Employing the work ethic he used at Tultex -- waking at 4:30 a.m. every day, busting his tail at the track to learn whatever he could -- Gravely flourished. He's now in his third year with Gaughan's team, serving as a suspension mechanic and jack man.

"It's not just being a black man in NASCAR to me," Gravely said. "What this is about is the people in NASCAR who share their information voluntarily, who come along and say, 'Look, man, you need to know this.' Because it happens, man.

"I work with people every day -- [fellow team members] Fritz Kroyer, Dick Cobb, Dana Stahl, Jerel Reeves -- these people come to me and share information. They see my potential. Because you can't just give it to somebody who doesn't want to learn. But for the man who wants to learn, these people have literally come up to me and said, 'I'm going to take you under my wing. I'm going to show you what we want you to do.' And that's what they've been doing."

The same type of guidance has helped Justice, 28, go from not knowing a thing about NASCAR to playing a key role on Gaughan's team.

Justice, a former defensive back at Wake Forest, got into racing on the advice of two Demon Deacon teammates who used the Drive For Diversity program to get their starts.

Justice left a pretty good software support job for IBM to do it, too.

"Everyone kept saying, 'How did you get into racing?' " said Justice, a tire specialist. " 'You're going to do what? You're leaving IBM to go racing? How many black people are in racing?'

"When I entered the business, I could count them on my hand. It's true today, but here at South Point ... we're in a very good situation. We like to look at ourselves as pioneers."

They are. And it's a pretty simple formula that works in any business: Pair guys who are willing to work hard with a boss who's willing to hire them, then surround them with team members eager to share their knowledge.

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