Steve Harvey denies involvement in NASCAR racial discrimination lawsuit

CEO of Diversity Motorsports Terrance Cox said comedian Steve Harvey, known best as a host of Family Feud, wanted to start a NASCAR team called “Steve Harvey Races 4 Education” last year and was denied by the racing league. Cox has now sued NASCAR, alleging racial discrimination.

One problem: Harvey says the allegations about him are flatly untrue.

Cox said Harvey joined forces with Diversity Motorsports, a sponsorship company, to talk to NASCAR about creating the racing team. According to a lawsuit filed by Cox, NASCAR officials told Harvey they would never work with Diversity Motorsports, TMZ reported.

But Harvey said in a profanity-laced statement on his radio show Monday that he had never wanted to start a racing team, and just wanted to expose underprivileged youth to NASCAR. Cox allegedly talked to Harvey about having young people protest the Coca-Cola Company, and Harvey refused to participate.

“My work is with underprivileged youth. I do not support anything else you talking about,” Harvey said. “Now here I come, my ass all over the cover of TMZ and everywhere, talking about how I want a damn race team. I don’t want no damn race team. I don’t even like fast-ass cars.”

“I wish he had some money so I could sue him, but he ain’t got none,” Harvey added.

Cox says in the lawsuit that it isn’t NASCAR’s first time shutting down his attempts to join its ranks, and paints it as a “good ole boy network” that doesn’t want to encourage diversity, according to TMZ.

Cox points out in the lawsuit that all 48 drivers in the league’s top tier, the Sprint Cup, are white, and only one driver in its second tier, the Xfinity Series, is black. Only three black people have made it to NASCAR’s top series in its history.

One of the teams Cox is suing is JTG Daugherty, which is partially owned by Brad Daugherty, the black former NBA star.

A NASCAR spokesperson told TMZ Sports that the organization “embraces all individuals interested and involved in our sport, whether as partners, fans, competitors or employees, and there is no merit to this lawsuit.”

“Diversity both on and off the track continues to be a top priority for NASCAR and its stakeholders,” the spokesperson said. “We stand behind our actions, and will not let a publicity-seeking legal action deter us from our mission.”

NASCAR officials also told TMZ they plan to sue Cox for defamation.