First Black NASCAR Driver, Being Brought to Life Via Collectible NFTs
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| From 1963-70, Wendell Scott finished in the top 15 in the NASCAR premier series points standings every season. |
NFT Collection Honoring the Racing Legend to Mark Black History Month
A series of historic NFTs created by Wendell Scott Ventures will be introduced and sold to commemorate the iconic and groundbreaking life and legacy of Wendell Scott. On December 1, 1963, Wendell Scott became the first African American NASCAR driver to win a Grand National race, NASCAR's highest level. Designed to share Scott’s awe-inspiring life and inspirational career with the world, the NFTs were created by WorldwideXR and VueXR, and will launch through a series of events. This will begin with a live auction hosted by Authentik Studios at The Wendell Scott Foundation’s annual Legacy Gala on February 12 at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and will be followed by a broader release on March 6th with the premiere NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway.
Commemorating the centennial of Wendell Scott’s birth, the 58th Anniversary of Wendell Scott's First NASCAR victory and Black History Month, the NFTs will feature one-of-a-kind augmented reality creations that celebrate the life, career, and impact of the man who broke NASCAR’s color barrier. The AR memorabilia include a 3D recreation of his first-ever NASCAR championship trophy (Jacksonville 200) and a special edition Black History Month 3D collage featuring a trinity of black sports heroes, which is the first-of-its-kind,to be revealed at the Gala. The special edition NFT will come with Authentik’s SILO digital frame that will provide users the ability to display their NFTs at home. In addition, the collection will include an exact 1:1 AR 3D NFT replica of Wendell Scott’s first-ever NASCAR winning 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air that won the Jacksonville 200. This AR asset can also be utilized in Metaverse applications.
In 2021, Scott 34 Racing partnered with David Steward II’s Lion Forge Animation (Academy Award®-winning Hair Love), and parent company Polarity, a leading Black-owned entertainment holding company, to create Wendell Scott Ventures and introduce the life and legacy of Wendell Scott to audiences through films, TV series, docu-series, digital content, games, and more. Polarity and Lion Forge Animation are working in direct-partnership with Wendell Scott’s son, Frank Scott, and grandson, Warrick Scott, on all initiatives. The NFT medium presents a new opportunity for storytelling that intertwines education and entertainment, with the NFTs themselves serving as pieces of living history.
"The legacy of Wendell Scott includes a Hall of Fame NASCAR career and a long list of firsts." - @DaShawnWSOC9, WSOCTVhttps://t.co/Z9VaazDv90 #NASCARHall #NASCARHOF #racing #NASCARHistory #NASCAR #NASCARLegends
— NASCAR Hall of Fame (@NASCARHall) February 9, 2022
About Wendell Scott
Wendell Scott’s life and career was filled with adversity, which he triumphantly overcame. Born in rural Virginia in 1921 during the Jim Crow Era, a time when racial segregation was enforced by law, it was from Scott’s father that Wendell received his love and knowledge of cars. After serving as a mechanic in WWII (in a segregated division), he was denied access to NASCAR due to the color of his skin. Scott became the first African American team owner and spent nine years in the “Dixie Circuit”, a smaller regional competitor to NASCAR, until he was finally able to persuade NASCAR to grant him a license to race in 1953 – officially breaking the sport’s color barrier. Scott won the Jacksonville 200 race in 1963, only to see the win given to a white driver on a “clerical error” (later reversed). After competing in 496 NASCAR races, with 147 Top 10 finishes, a horrific near-death crash in 1973 ended his career. Scott died of cancer in 1990 and was officially inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, becoming the first African American in NASCAR history to do so.
Wendell Scott’s career was repeatedly challenged by racial prejudice and threats. However, his determined struggle as an underdog would prove to win the hearts of thousands of fans and fellow racers. Scott was, and still is, a pop culture icon who was the subject of the film “Greased Lightning” starring Richard Pryor and was the inspiration for the character of River Scott in Disney’s animated film “Cars 3.”
Wendell Scott was inducted into The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the National Black Athletic Hall of Fame, is an honorary member of the Black American Racers Association, and is a lifetime member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
The Wendell Scott Foundation provides educational programs designed for students aged 8 through 18 using STEM-related resources and programs, as well as learning and mentoring opportunities to communities across the country. For more information about the Foundation and this year’s Legacy Gala at the NASCAR Hall of Fame on February 12, 2022, go to www.wendellscott.org.
About Polarity
Polarity, LLC is a leading Black-owned diversified entertainment holding company. With expertise in publishing, film & television, and games, Polarity is focused on producing leading-edge, world-class content for a rapidly changing and diverse marketplace. Completely self-financed, Polarity has developed deep value chains across multiple market platforms to nurture individual brands and creator-driven content, and to produce long-lasting asset value across broad channel consumption.
About Worldwide XR
WorldwideXR (WXR) is a digital agency that develops next-level media and works with top digital artists to protect their best interest. WXR specializes in immersive media that is reshaping our future habits and engagement standards. WXR operates mostly within the entertainment technology sector as well as Gov and Edu sectors. WXR offers a strategic advantage because of its prime position in the path of opportunity. CMG Worldwide serves as the legal and rights management partner, which for the past 40+ years has represented thousands of the most historical icons in American history.
CMG has a vast library of proprietary IP, legal support and industry relations to provide the partnership. Together, WXR and CMG have endless initiatives surrounding entertainers, athletes, historical figures and top brands.
WXR represents technology companies, manages digital artists, provides high-level consultation, develops innovation and delivers engaging, immersive experiences. Founded by licensing giant Mark Roesler and tech futurist Travis Cloyd. The combined expertise of both Mr. Roesler, Esq and Professor Mr. Cloyd, as well as the backing of our strategic partner in entertainment, sports, music, education, marketing, media and more have allowed the WXR team to build into an industry leader in a relatively short time.
Find out more at www.worldwidexr.com & www.cmgworldwide.com .
About Authentik Studios:
Authentik Studios is a gathering of the minds from the blockchain, entertainment, and manufacturing industries, who have come together to bring top-tier exclusive content and NFT technology to audiences around the world. Through their diverse team of world-class creatives and animators, Authentik wishes to give voice to those who have been historically misrepresented and provide the framework to help illuminate their stories.
Authentik’s flagship product, SILO, brings NFTs to life by allowing mainstream audiences to show off their NFT collections from the comfort of their homes. SILO is a digital frame that features state-of-the-art technology in order to revolutionize the presentation of NFTs, bridge the gap between traditional and digital art, and to provide consumers with a tangible sense of ownership. Authentik Studios has made it their mission to provide solutions for both artists and consumers to allow them to seamlessly interact with the NFT market and harness the technological advantages that NFTs provide.
Note: NFTs are unique cryptographic tokens that exist on a blockchain and cannot be replicated. NFTs can be used to represent real-world items like artwork and real-estate. "Tokenizing" these real-world tangible assets allows them to be bought, sold, and traded more efficiently while reducing the probability of fraud.
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