The second annual event was one of the festivities leading up to Saturday's clash of rivals Alabama A&M and Alabama State at Legion Field, the 84th in the series' rich history.
A 1960s Cadillac was one of the many classic cars on display Friday at the second annual Cars + Coffee at City Walk in Birmingham.In an effort by NASCAR to maybe convert a few more fans, the auto racing body ventured into the heart of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities football universe to add to the pageantry that is Alabama State vs.
Alabama A&M: The Magic City Classic.It was the second year Talladega Superspeedway and NASCAR hosted Cars + Coffee, a part of not only the Classic, but also Black Restaurant Week. The block party-type event at City Walk Birmingham featured, in addition to, obviously, cars and coffee, food trucks, vendors, DJs and celebrities, in the way of rappers Big K.R.I.T and Curren$y, who just for reference collectively have more than 2.5 million monthly listeners on the streaming service Spotify alone.And cars have kind of been a central theme of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin’s past week. Six days earlier, he was attending NASCAR’s YellaWood 500 at Talladega Superspeedway. Friday, he stood beside one of his newer prized possessions, a not only restored but elevated 1968 Cadillac Eldorado, which was a gift from his wife and he’s affectionally named “Ella May.” “This is appreciation,” said Woodfin, who described himself as one in a long line of Cadillac men. “This is the epitome of legitimate, real car culture right here. It’s authentically Birmingham.” Brandon Thompson, NASCAR VP for Growth, Engagement & Inclusion was proud to start this event last year and keep it going. He understands the community as a Clark Atlanta alum, and knows what NASCAR has to offer. He called it “a great way to tap into a more broad community.” NASCAR’s diversity program is in its 21st year, though now under a different name than it began. It’s now only called the Driver Development Program , but the fruits of its labor are bountiful. Kyle Larson won a Cup Series Championship in 2021, which was also the same year fellow Drive for Diversity pupil Bubba Wallace became the first Black driver to win a top-series race since Wendall Scott became the first in 1963. The program, no matter the name, is still producing talent. Rajah Caruth, who is Black, is currently 6th in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and has picked up wins in each of the past two seasons. Visibility through events like Cars + Coffee, Thompson said, is important to the sport. It helps to not only get the word out about the sport, but the opportunities within the sport outside of driving, such as pit crew members, race officials and business leaders.Corvettes from Bama Joy Riders, a Bessemer car club, are on display Friday at Cars + Coffee at City Walk in Birmingham.In the groups of cars scattered about City Walk was a quartet of Chevrolet Corvettes. That group of “America’s Sports Car” belonged to Bama Joy Riders, a Corvette-only car club based in Bessemer.But one, in a nod to the Friday’s sponsors, Talladega Superspeedway and NASCAR, had the most appropriate response for, not only a Chevrolet man, but an Alabamian responding with the Man in Black.What Stephen A. Smith had to say about this possible candidate for Tuberville’s US Senate seatIf you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our
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