Sam Belnavis
American auto racing executive (1939–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Francis Belnavis Sr. (August 8, 1939 – July 14, 2021)[1] was an American executive in automobile racing. Belnavis, an African-American, was one of a handful minorities to have owned a NASCAR racing team. He was the head of Roush Fenway Racing's driver diversity program, and handled other marketing initiatives for that company.[2]
Sam Belnavis | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 8, 1939 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Died | July 14, 2021 (aged 81) |
| Occupation | Roush Fenway Racing Driver Diversity head |
| Known for | 1st African American premier series NASCAR owner to complete a full season |
Education and military service
Samuel Francis Belnavis Sr. was born on August 8, 1939.[1] As a child, Belnavis attended Our Lady of Victory, an all-black parochial school in Brooklyn, New York. He then attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, with primarily white students, a very different experience.[3] Belnavis subsequently attended Manhattan College in New York, graduating with a degree in accounting in 1961,[4] later earning a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Michigan.[5] He was in Air Force ROTC in Manhattan College,[3] and served in the U.S. Air Force as a pilot in the 105th Tactical Fighter Wing, located at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas.[6]
Career
After leaving the Air Force, Belnavis took a management position at Sears in 1968.[5] From there, he became a director of sports marketing for Miller Brewing. In 1981, while in that job, he signed Bobby Allison to a sponsorship contract.[6] After working at Miller, Belnavis was hired by DiGard Racing; part of his duties were to push a program to diversify DiGard Racing with an African-American driver.[7]
After DiGard, Belnavis took a position as senior vice-president of sports and entertainment with Saatchi & Saatchi, one of the world's largest advertising firms. In 1991 he relocated to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he founded his own advertising and marketing agency, Belnavis & Associates.[5][6]
Belnavis became NASCAR's first full-time minority owner since Wendell Scott in 2003,[3] when he fielded BelCar Motorsports' #54 U.S. National Guard Ford Motor Company entry driven by Todd Bodine.[8] He quit BelCar Racing at the conclusion of the season, but continued to serve in lower-level NASCAR leagues through the Drive for Diversity program.[9] It went on to field entries including Morty Buckes, Brianne Conrath, and Jesus Hernandez.[10][11] Belnavis later joined Roush Racing as its director of diversity programs.[12]