21 years ago, NASCAR’s diversity program came forward “to create an inclusive environment in all facets of the NASCAR industry, recognizing the value of diversity, which allows us to go faster and farther in our workplaces, at the race track, and in the stands” under former COO George Pyne and CEO Brian France’s guidance. The program became quite successful, with talented graduates like Kyle Larson, Daniel Suarez, and Bubba Wallace, all three drivers racing in the NASCAR Cup Series.

In a nutshell, this program allowed underrepresented drivers or crew members from diverse backgrounds to be a part of the sport. Well, it followed an NFL-like model in the later stages as the Cup Series teams started seeking pit crew members right out of high school and colleges. While the Cup Series saw the emergence of Larson, Suarez and Wallace, the DFD saw young talents like Rajah Caruth, Nick Sanchez, and Andrés Pérez de Lara graduate to the Truck Series level.

But for some reason, the governing body has now decided to rename this program that has seen success over the years. As it turns out, the Driver for Diversity will now be called as Driver Development Program. Now, this transition might have a relation to President Donald Trump’s DEI policy. He issued an executive order to abolish all discriminatory diversity, unity, and inclusion programs from the government and private sectors. But, in NASCAR’s case, this name change won’t result in NASCAR ditching away with the core values of the program.

While the governing body is yet to comment on the change, Sports Business Journal’s Adam Stren wrote yesterday, “But a person familiar with NASCAR’s thinking, while confirming the change, said that the alteration had been under consideration for the last couple years in a bid to broaden the program’s scope.” Although the new policy by President Trump might have forced a name change, the success story of the program is too good to be ignored. Which is why NASCAR is going to preserve it with a broader scope.

Since 2012, 25% of drivers from the program have made at least one start in one of NASCAR’s three national series. In fact, there is a 100% success in graduates from the NASCAR pit crew development program. A total of 60 graduates are working in the sport, and 25 out of them have made it to the premier series. However, renaming the program from Drive for Diversity to the Driver Development program has opened up discussion within the racing community.

Fans are divided over NASCAR’s renaming of its diversity program

As it turns out, a few fans didn’t care for the name change as long as fresh talent lived up to the billing. “I just want to see if the next generation of racers are actual prospects regardless of their ethnic background— unless they’re rich brats with daddy’s money or social media influencers here for a quick week of fame.” Not sure if this was a cryptic jab at drivers like Hailie Deegan, Austin Dillon, and Riley Herst. But, you’ve got to be concerned as fans when more and more sponsor-backed drivers break through the premier series.

Echoing a similar belief, another NASCAR fan tweeted, “Anyone can race do the work and show up at your local track pay the entry fee and Race does not matter what ‘Race” you Are!” A clear representation of how some fans do not want any ethnic or racial representation, believing the sport is already open to all. Such perspectives have impacted the operations of D4D. For example, 19-year-old Chase Austin refused to participate in it because he didn’t want to be perceived as an affirmative action case. The program can only get you that one big break; the rest has to be on the drivers and individuals to scale themselves to reach new career heights.

However, some fans couldn’t help but highlight the timing of the announcement. This came right after NASCAR’s top brass visited White House along with Team Penske and their championship winning drivers. “Took place in the off season, but nobody heard about it until now… a week after NASCAR brass visited the White House. Interesting.”

Not everyone was only focused on the name change, some fans wanted NASCAR to provide financial aid to ARCA Series teams, as some teams are rumored to shut down their operations. “I’d love to see NASCAR pump some money into Pinnacle or Nitro once VMS closes to host D4D alongside their others operations.”

While fans remain divided on the decision, one thing is clear: the program’s success will ultimately be judged by the opportunities it creates, rather than the name it carries. What do you think about it?