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SOLEDAD: IN THIS SUMMER OF SOCIAL DISTANCE, MANY SPORTING EVENTS HAVE BEEN CALLED OFF, OR AT LEAST BEEN DRASTICALLY ALTERED. NASCAR TOOK OFF BUT DROVE STRAIGHT INTO CONTROVERS CUP SERIES DRIVER BUBBA WALLACE PUSHED THE SPORT TO RETHINK ITS TIES TO THE CONFEDERATE FLAG. WHILE HE WON THE SUPPORT OF FELLOW DRIVERS, NOT ALL OF THE SPORTS' FANS WENT ALONG. RAISING THE QUESTION -- CAN NASCAR KEEP UP WITH SOCIAL CHANGE? OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT JOIE CHEN HAS OUR REPORT. JOIE: ON THE SPEEDWAY, SOMEONE TAGGED HIM" THE YOUNGSTER " AND THOUSAND IN HIS EIGHTH CENTER WITH PLENTY OF PODIUM FINISHES, THE NICKNAME STUCK. BLAK I'M BLAKE LOTHIAN, I'M A NASCAR DRIVER DIVERSITY DRIVER WITH REV RACING AND I DRIVE THE NUMBER 16 CAR FOR A.K. PERFORMANCE. JOIE: WHILE LOTHIAN MOTORS TOWARD HIS OWN DESTINY, HE KNOWS HE'S HELPING TO SET THE PACE IN NASCAR'S "DRIVE FOR DIVERSITY" CAMPAIGN, A DECADE-LONG EFFORT THAT'S SO FAR PRODUCED ONLY THE SECOND TOP TIER RACER IN NASCAR'S 72-YEAR HISTORY -- BUBBA WALLACE. IN A SPORT THAT JUST THIS SUMMER BANNED DISPLAYS OF THE CONFEDERATE FLAG, WITH A FAN BASE THAT'S NEARLY 80% WHITE, DRIVERS LIKE LOTHIAN COULD BE KEY TO STEERING NEW FANS TO NASCAR. IS THERE REALLY A PLACE FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS TO SUCCEED, TO BE STARS IN THE SPORT? BLAKE: OF COURSE, I BELIEVE THERE DEFINITELY I THE STATISTICS DON'T LOOK AMAZING, BUT I SAY THERE'S OPPORTUNITY. JOIE: THE ROAD TO NASCAR'S PREMIERE CUP SERIES IS A LONG ONE. LIKE MANY OF HIS PEERS, LOTHIAN STARTED WITH GO-KARTS. BY 10 HE'D REACHED THE FIRST RUNGS OF JUNIOR RACING. NOW BARELY 18, HE'S DRIVING TOWARD A FUTURE AS A PRO. THIS IS YOUR BABY? BLAKE: YES. JOIE: THIS SEASON LOTHIAN'S DRIVING A LEGENDS CAR AT THE HIGH END OF THE SEMI-PRO RANKS. BLAKE: SHE'S HELPED ME GET ONE TOP THREE THIS YEAR, TWO TOP FIVES. JOIE: THOUGH THE A.K. GARAGE STARTS DRIVERS AS YOUNG AS 8. A FORMER RACER HIMSELF, KENDALL SEL SELLERS SAYS THAT THE ODDS ARE AGAINST HIM KENDALL: IT'S THE MOST UNREWARDING SPORT OUT THERE TO THIS DATE, IN MY OPINION. JOIE: THE CHALLENGES DON'T END THERE. CAR RACING IS OBVIOUSLY DANGEROUS. 70 MILES AN HOUR, HE CAME IN YOUR DOOR. BLAKE: RIGHT HERE. JOIE: THE GRAVEYARD SITS IN TALL WEEDS BEHIND THE GARAGE. COVERING THE REMAINS OF THE CAR LOTHIAN WAS DRIVING AT THE ANDERSON MOTOR SPEEDWAY LAST YEAR. BLAKE: I HONESTLY THOUGHT I DIED WHEN I GOT HIT. IT WAS SO SCARY, JUST BEING STUCK THERE. LIKE THERE WAS NOTHING I COULD DO. I JUST HAVE MY ARMS UP LIKE THIS, JUST PREPARING FOR THE HIT BECAUSE I SAW THE GUY COMING RIGHT AT ME. THEN AFTER I GOT HIT, I OPENED MY EYES AND I JUST SAW FIRE FROM THE OTHER GUY THAT HIT ME. HIS CAR WAS JUST COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN FLAMES. JOIE: FAMILIES MUST STEEL THEIR NERVES AND OPEN THEIR WALLETS FOR AN EXPENSIVE JOURNEY. A TRAINING GO-KART AT LOTHIAN'S LEVEL CAN RUN SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. EVEN WITH A SPONSORED CAR, YOUNG DRIVERS CAN EASILY RUN UP GEAR, TRAVEL, AND REPAIR TABS INTO SIX FIGURE BUT THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO LAUNCHING A YOUNG DRIVER MAY BE GETTING IN THEIR HEADS. PHIL: FIRST OF ALL, YOU HAVE TO CONVINCE THE DRIVERS THEY'RE ATHLETES. JOIE: COACH PHIL HORTON TRAINS THE REV RACING DRIVERS AND YOUNG PIT CREWS TO MUSCLE UP TO THE INTENSITY OF MOTORSPORT. PHIL: WHAT YOU'RE DOING FOR THREE AND A HALF HOURS, YOU KNOW, IN 130-DEGREE CAR, AND YOU'RE IN TRAFFIC, YOU KNOW, GOING 200 MILES AN HOUR, YOU KNOW, YOUR HAND-EYE COORDINATION HAS TO BE SUPERB, YOUR STAMINA, YOUR ABILITY TO DEAL WITH THE HEAT. AND ALL OF THOSE THINGS COME UNDER THE ATHLETIC REALM IN AN -- OF BEING AN ATHLETE. JOIE: HORTON SAYS NASCAR'S RECENT EFFORTS TO BUILD INCLUSION HAVE HELPED, BUT THE STORIES OF THE FIRST AFRICAN-AMERICANS RACERS, DRIVERS LIKE CHARLIE WIGGINS WHO DEFIED DISCRIMINATION ON THE TRACK AND OFF, SHOULD REALLY INSPIRE YOUNG DRIVERS TO PUSH THE LIMITS. PHIL: WE TRY TO INGRAIN IN THEM THAT MOTOR SPORTS IS IN THEIR BLOOD, AND THAT THIS IS NOT SOMETHING THEY'RE BREAKING INTO, SOMETHING THAT'S NOT A PART OF THEM. JOIE: STILL, FOR LOTHIAN AND FOR NASCAR, MAKING INROADS WITH NEW FANS WILL LIKELY MEAN FACING SOME HARD BUMPS IN THE FUTURE. BUT BOTH ARE FOCUSED ON THE ROAD AHEAD. FOR “MATTER OF FACT,” I'M JOIE