National sports talk show host Jim Rome calls it NECK-CAR. It’s an entertainer’s prerogative and it’s done with humor and a twist and as part of the popular morning radio show's banter.
Now, the racial reference to the immensely popular auto racing circuit is no longer just part of talk show host’s approach. In short, it's no laughing matter.
In fact, it's a serious matter, at least according to Marcia Grant and her attorneys.
Grant, an aspiring African-American race official, is suing NASCAR for $225 million, alleging racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.
Grant, 32, an
African-American, worked as a technical inspector responsible for certifying cars in NASCAR's second-tier Nationwide Series from January 2005 until her termination in October, 2007.
In the lawsuit, she said she was referred to as "Nappy Headed Mo" and "Queen Sheba," by co-workers, was often told she worked on "colored people time," and was frightened by one official who routinely made references to the Ku Klux Klan.
Grant said she was subjected to sexual advances from male co-workers, two of whom allegedly exposed themselves to her, and graphic and lewd jokes.
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, lists 23 specific incidents of alleged sexual harassment and 34 specific incidents of alleged racial and gender discrimination.
NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said the organization had not yet reviewed the suit, according to the Associated Press.
