NASCAR stands firm in its ties with Jackson

NASCAR is caught in the middle of a relentless attack by a dogged critic of Jesse Jackson.

At stake are NASCAR's commitment to diversity and the allegiance of some fans who are riled by Jackson's opposition to the war in Iraq, resent him for other reasons, or simply don't want the complexion of the sport to change.

So far, NASCAR has done the smart thing. It has avoided the political issues without backing down from support for Jackson in their joint efforts to draw more minorities to auto racing at all levels -- as fans, drivers, crew members and owners.

"NASCAR does not endorse political views," president Mike Helton says. "NASCAR endorses diversity."

Attracting new markets

Dora Taylor, hired by NASCAR to head its diversity program after she helped turn Denny's from worst to first in its industry, says NASCAR remains serious about going after new markets by attracting minorities.

"It's a win-win scenario all the way around," she says.

Not if it involves Jackson, counters one of his most vehement critics, activist Peter Flaherty.

Flaherty is president of a tiny outfit with a pretentious title, the National Legal and Policy Center, in Falls Church, Va., which purports to promote "ethics in government" while exposing the "hypocrisy of the left."

To this end, Flaherty, conservative cohort Ken Boehm, and their staff of three, have been waging a campaign against NASCAR's relationship with Jackson on the Internet, radio, television and in newspapers.

"We have an ongoing campaign to dissuade corporate America from supporting Jesse Jackson," Flaherty says.

Accusations fly

They have been trying to bring down Jackson for a couple of years, alleging his nonprofit Citizenship Education Fund is crooked and that the $250,000 NASCAR has donated to it over the past two years -- among the contributions of many -- is going into his pockets.

"It's basically a slush fund for Jackson," Flaherty says. "One thing that is indisputable is that it has nothing to do with broadening the base of NASCAR. This is not a nonprofit, it's an entity that's run to push the financial benefit of Jesse Jackson, his friends and family, some of whom have become quite wealthy."

That's a charge that Charles Farrell, director of Rainbow Sports, a division of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, calls "an absurd accusation ... ridiculous."

"Mr. Flaherty's attacks have no basis in fact," Farrell says.

Farrell works closely with NASCAR, as well as with major league baseball, the NFL, NBA and NHL, supporting their diversity efforts and criticizing them at times.

"That fund helps pay my salary and the staff, our travel, the seminars and conferences we put on, the whole infrastructure of the organization," Farrell says.

Taylor says the money NASCAR gives goes toward support of the annual conference Rainbow/Push sponsors in Chicago. This year's conference, June 21 to 25, features workshops on sports, the influence of the Hip Hop culture, economic and educational issues. Among the speakers are NCAA president Myles Brand and several members of Congress.

"We support the conference because we support the issues that are important to the African-American community," Taylor says.

Flaherty has been punching out e-mails to the media once or twice a week since April 3, starting with a letter he sent to NASCAR chairman Bill France Jr., asking that NASCAR stop support for Jackson and his organizations. The issue then was Jackson's opposition to the Iraq war.

The letter attacked Jackson's "extreme and provocative anti-American rhetoric" and tied him to "an alleged Marxist front group."

For Flaherty, the war issue was fresh fodder to use against Jackson.

"When the war came along, it provided a real hook when it came to NASCAR," Flaherty says. "Because NASCAR was doing so much to show support for the troops, we just pointed out that they're being hypocritical ... while supporting Jackson, who was leading anti-war protests.

"The thing that keeps it going is the outrage of NASCAR fans on this. I sent the letter two months ago and it's still a very hot topic."

NASCAR wisely backed away from any political position while standing by Jackson on diversity.

"NASCAR, being an incredible marketing organization, has a serious sensitivity that fans are upset with them and what they're doing," says Richard Lapchick, the sports sociologist who has worked with NASCAR and Jackson.

Taylor didn't directly respond when asked whether Flaherty's attacks and NASCAR's relationship with Jackson have undermined her efforts or brought a backlash from fans.

"Our fans know what we stand for," she said. "Supporting diversity is important to the growth of our sport."

That's something NASCAR fans shouldn't forget as the attacks on Jackson go on.

Steve Wilstein is a national sports columnist for The Associated Press.