March 3rd, 2022 - A series of historic NFTs created by Wendell Scott Ventures will be introduced and sold to commemorate the iconic and groundbreaking life and legacy of Wendell Scott. On December 1, 1963, Wendell Scott broke NASCAR’s color barrier by becoming the first African American NASCAR driver to win a Grand National race, NASCAR's highest level. Until Bubba Wallace’s win on October 4, 2021 there had never been another black driver to win a NASCAR race. To this day, Wendell Scott is the only black NASCAR team owner. Despite Wendell Scott’s triumphant victory, he was never awarded a trophy for this win. It wasn’t until August 28, 2021, nearly 60 years after his Jacksonville win that his trophy was posthumously awarded to his family.
Coming off of a successful in-person NFT auction hosted by Authentik Studios at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, in which the first-ever NFTs of an African American NASCAR driver were sold, the collaboration with Worldwide XR, CMG Worldwide and VueXR continues with a broader release on March 6th with the premiere NFT marketplace Nifty Gateway.
100 years after his birth and 58 years after his NASCAR victory, Wendell Scott continues to break barriers as his legacy is now irrevocably entwined with technology that is shaping the future of how users engage with the world around them. NFTs are a fitting mode to share the story of Wendell Scott as NFTs, like Wendell Scott, disrupted society while simultaneously paving the path for change in a broken system. Akin to NFTs impact on technology, cryptocurrency, and the future of Web 3.0, Scott’s impact shook NASCAR’s status quo and made the sport more inclusive and accessible. Owners of these NFTs have a chance to be a part of history in the making.
A monumental series of firsts, these historic NFTs were created in partnership by leading digital agency Worldwide XR (WXR), Extended Reality content developers Vue XR, and Wendell Scott Ventures and are the first ever NFTs to be released of an African American NASCAR driver. This will be Nifty’s first time releasing a 3D Augmented Reality (AR) digital car on their platform. The first of it’s kind and an exact 1:1 replica of Wendell Scott’s first-ever NASCAR winning 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air. Much like the blockchain allows users to operate on a decentralized system, the Extended Reality (XR) version of Scott’s car breaks it away from its physical confines of its display at the NASCAR Hall of Fame and brings it to the masses. This AR asset can also be utilized in Metaverse applications. Other NFTs include
Depending on which NFT is purchased, owners will also receive Authentik Studios’ SILO™ Digital Frame that brings your NFTs to life by allowing users to display your collections on a 43” HD high-fidelity audio display from the comfort of their home. Users can access their entire NFT gallery via the SILO™ App & enjoy their NFTs in unparalleled 4K resolution.
About Wendell Scott
Born in rural Virginia in 1921 during the Jim Crow Era, a time when racial segregation was enforced by law, Wendell Scott’s life and career was filled with adversity. After serving as a mechanic in a segregated division in WWII , he was denied access to NASCAR due to the color of his skin. From his first job as a taxi driver, Scott sharpened his driving skills bootlegging moonshine during the Prohibition era.
Scott used trials and tribulations to propel him forward. Scott became the first African American team owner and spent nine years in the “Dixie Circuit”, a smaller regional competitor to NASCAR, until he was finally able to persuade NASCAR to grant him a license to race in 1953 – officially breaking the sport’s color barrier.
Scott won the Jacksonville 200 race in 1963, only to see the win given to a white driver on a “clerical error” (later reversed). After competing in 496 NASCAR races, with 147 Top 10 finishes, a horrific near-death crash in 1973 ended his career. Scott died of cancer in 1990 and was officially inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2015, becoming the first African American in NASCAR history to do so.
Wendell Scott’s career was repeatedly challenged by racial prejudice and threats on his life. However, his determined struggle as an underdog would prove to win the hearts of thousands of fans and fellow racers. Scott was, and still is, a pop culture icon who was the subject of the film “Greased Lightning” starring Richard Pryor and was the inspiration for the character of River Scott in Disney’s animated film “Cars 3.”
Wendell Scott was inducted into The Virginia Sports Hall of Fame and the National Black Athletic Hall of Fame, is an honorary member of the Black American Racers Association, and is a lifetime member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG).
The Wendell Scott Foundation provides educational programs designed for students aged 8 through 18 using STEM-related resources and programs, as well as learning and mentoring opportunities to communities across the country. For more information about the Foundation go towww.wendellscott.org.
About Worldwide XR
WorldwideXR (WXR) is a digital agency that develops next-level media and works with top digital artists to protect their best interest. WXR specializes in immersive media that is reshaping our future habits and engagement standards. WXR operates mostly within the entertainment technology sector as well as Gov and Edu sectors. WXR offers a strategic advantage because of its prime position in the path of opportunity. CMG Worldwide serves as the legal and rights management partner, which for the past 40+ years has represented thousands of the most historical icons in American history.
CMG has a vast library of proprietary IP, legal support and industry relations to provide the partnership. Together, WXR and CMG have endless initiatives surrounding entertainers, athletes, historical figures and top brands.
WXR represents technology companies, manages digital artists, provides high-level consultation, develops innovation and delivers engaging, immersive experiences. Founded by licensing giant Mark Roesler and tech futurist Travis Cloyd. The combined expertise of both Mr. Roesler, Esq and Professor Mr. Cloyd, as well as the backing of our strategic partner in entertainment, sports, music, education, marketing, media and more have allowed the WXR team to build into an industry leader in a relatively short time.
Find out more at www.worldwidexr.com &www.cmgworldwide.com
About Authentik Studios
Authentik Studios is a gathering of the minds from the blockchain, entertainment, and manufacturing industries, who have come together to bring top-tier exclusive content and NFT technology to audiences around the world. Through their diverse team of world-class creatives and animators, Authentik wishes to give voice to those who have been historically misrepresented and provide the framework to help illuminate their stories.
Authentik’s flagship product, SILO, brings NFTs to life by allowing mainstream audiences to show off their NFT collections from the comfort of their homes. SILO is a digital frame that features state-of-the-art technology in order to revolutionize the presentation of NFTs, bridge the gap between traditional and digital art, and to provide consumers with a tangible sense of ownership. Authentik Studios has made it their mission to provide solutions for both artists and consumers to allow them to seamlessly interact with the NFT market and harness the technological advantages that NFTs provide.
About Polarity
Polarity, LLC is a leading Black-owned diversified entertainment holding company. With expertise in publishing, film & television, and games, Polarity is focused on producing leading-edge, world-class content for a rapidly changing and diverse marketplace. Completely self-financed, Polarity has developed deep value chains across multiple market platforms to nurture individual brands and creator-driven content, and to produce long-lasting asset value across broad channel consumption.
In 2021, Scott 34 Racing partnered with David Steward II’s Lion Forge Animation (Academy Award®-winning Hair Love), and parent company Polarity, a leading Black-owned entertainment holding company, to create Wendell Scott Ventures and introduce the life and legacy of Wendell Scott to audiences through films, TV series, docu-series, digital content, games, and more. Polarity and Lion Forge Animation are working in direct-partnership with Wendell Scott’s son, Frank Scott, and grandson, Warrick Scott, on all initiatives. The NFT medium presents a new opportunity for storytelling that intertwines education and entertainment, with the NFTs themselves serving as pieces of living history.
Portfolio companies of Polarity include:
Lion Forge Animation: Independent animation production company partnering with premier creators and developers around the world
Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group: Major independent publisher of graphic novels and comics with a 20-year history of pushing creative boundaries. Channels: 1) Publishing, 2) Entertainment, 3) Games
Magnetic Press: Premium branded publisher of graphic novels and comics
Illustrated Syndicate: IP development and holding company; repository of deep and diverse IP libraries
Find out more at www.polarityltd.com.
Polarity on LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/company/polarity-llc/