Sather Joins NASCAR's "Drive For Diversity" Line-Up

Yesterday, Fargo North Dakota driver Natalie Sather released this information on her site.

Today at the NASCAR Research & Development facility in Concord, NC it was made official when NASCAR introduced the 2009 Drive for Diversity Drivers. I was chosen by the Total Velocity Motorsports Team from Monroe, Washington and will begin my asphalt racing career at the end of March. I will pack my bags next week and venture out to Washington where I will be living in an apartment and working at the shop learning everything I can about the late model. I will be racing in 18-21 races at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, WA and on the off days I will try to race in as many dirt races with my sprint car as possible. This is thus far the biggest accomplishment for me in my career. I am looking forward to this season and making the transition from dirt to asphalt. My goals for the season are Rookie of the Year and a top 10 finish in the points. In the future I hope to continue pursuing my dream of one day racing at the Sprint Cup level! This season is going to be a challenge and I am ready for anything that comes my way!

Official NASCAR.com announcement.

First, I'm happy for Natalie. This is a great opportunity for her to advance her racing career and gain some notoriety for herself.

However I don't know if I agree with her claim that "this is thus far the biggest accomplishment for me in my career." With all due respect, I think this accomplishment is more due to her gender than anything she's done on the track.

Make no mistake, I think she's developed into a good driver. She won the 2007 ASCS Midwest Points championship, and isn't afraid to "push the button". However the fact that she's a pretty, young female with clean-cut image certainly makes her an attractive pick to the marketing savvy folks at NASCAR.

I might not have as big of an issue with this if I didn't think NASCAR's Drive For Diversity program is nothing more than continued window dressing. It's a PR tool created to give NASCAR a better image. It's especially important for them now in the wake of a racial discrimination lawsuit.

Sather should have been given a shot because she's earned it with her driving, not because she's female.