NASCAR, America’s biggest stock-car racing organisation, will feature its first Israeli driver on August 13, after a Jewish lawyer put up $60,000 of his own savings to make it happen.
Alon Day, 24, from Ashdod, will make his debut at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, driving the number 13 car as part of the MBM motorsports team – and he has David Levin, a Florida resident and racing fan, to thank for the opportunity.
Mr Levin told USA Today that he was watching the invocation before the start of a race when he heard Phil Robertson, the star of reality TV show Duck Dynasty, telling the crowd to “pray that we put a Jesus man in the White House.”
Mr Levin described the comment as “pretty insulting”.
“It reinforced the impression that NASCAR is a white, Christian sport”, he told the American paper.
“But NASCAR is for everyone. There’s no reason it can’t include Jews, blacks and Mexicans.”
Mr Levin decided to use money from his own retirement fund to ensure that a Jewish driver would race in NASCAR. He also told USA Today that although he had been in touch with hundreds of businesses with Jewish links to help him sponsor further races, the response had so far been disappointing.
“Jewish kids want to have a sports role model”, he said.
“This is something where the Jewish community should step up to the plate.”
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