Sam Belnavis

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Sam Belnavis
BornAugust 8, 1939
Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
DiedJuly 14, 2021(2021-07-14) (aged 81)
OccupationRoush Fenway Racing Driver Diversity head
Known for1st African American premier series NASCAR owner to complete a full season

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]

Education and military service

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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

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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]

Personal life

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Belnavis and his wife Christine had one son, three daughters, and seven grandchildren.[5] He died on July 14, 2021, at the age of 81.[9][13]

References

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  5. ^ a b c d "Samuel Belnavis" Archived August 31, 2004, at the Wayback Machine, bio, Speedway Children's Charities, retrieved January 2, 2008.
  6. ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  7. ^ "DiGard Racing Company History", retrieved January 2, 2008.
  8. ^ "Sam Belnavis and Travis Carter Join Forces For 2003" Archived May 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Ford Motor Company, press release, retrieved January 2, 2008.
  9. ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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