While NASCAR may be awash in a world of colors -- colorful paint schemes on cars, team uniforms and fans wearing ball caps of their favorite drivers with a multitude of hues -- it's still unfortunately a very white world overall.

Forty-one years ago, Wendell Scott became the first black man to win a race in NASCAR's top series. Today, the late driver is still the only black man to accomplish the feat.

Last year there was one black car owner in NASCAR, Sam Belnavis, but he won't be back as an owner next year as he signed on with Jack Roush's empire to be a diversity director after losing the National Guard as a sponsor for the team he co-owned, Bel-Car Racing.

And the only black driver in any of NASCAR's top three series? Well, that would be 42-year-old Bill Lester of the Craftsman Truck Series, but it appears he's out for next year, too, since Dodge has ended the diversity program that had brought Lester and several black crew members to the sport.

While other major sports such as pro football, baseball and basketball today are shining examples of diversity, NASCAR is sorely lacking for minority participants.

But on Monday at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway, the seeds of history could be planted. Called the Drive for Diversity's Motorsports Testing and Evaluation Combine, 13 drivers and 40 minority crew members have been invited to take part in a series of off- and on-track tests of their skills behind the wheel, over the wall and in the garage.

The goal? Find five drivers to run in NASCAR's Dodge Weekly Series and as many as six crewmen to run in the Craftsman Truck Series. If they're good enough, and sponsors are paying attention, the winners eventually could work their way up to NASCAR's highest levels.

The training program is put together by public relations firm Access Marketing and Communications, which has partnered with NASCAR, whose desire to see minorities in the sport has become a key agenda. Just two years ago, NASCAR hired Dora Taylor to be manager of Diversity Affairs. If Taylor's name sounds familiar, it's because prior to NASCAR, she was director of diversity affairs for Denny's/Advantica, helping to turn the company around during its well-publicized discrimination lawsuits in the late '90s.

On Monday, representatives from a number of Nextel Cup, Busch and Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA teams, as well as teams in the Dodge Weekly Series, will be on hand to evaluate talent. What makes this a monumental occasion is that the crop of candidates won't just be drivers, but aspiring crew chiefs, team managers and crew members who we hopefully will see in Nextel Cup and Busch Series racing in the next few years.

The field has been culled from more than 100 resumes submitted by aspiring racers and off-track personnel eager to get their foot in the NASCAR door. The fact that the aspirants are minorities, while important and obviously the reason for the combine, is notable indeed. But if this inaugural event is successful, there may not have to be many more combines of its ilk because the stock-car racing community will have gone on to make a serious commitment to hiring minorities.

	Truck Series driver Bill Lester was the only black competitor running in one of NASCAR's national circuits last year. He has no sponsor for '04.

There's a well-worn saying that NASCAR -- for all its speed, color, pageantry and excitement -- is nothing more than a numbers game. Numbers dictate how well or poorly a particular car, driver or team's performance is on the track. Numbers also dictate which teams can compete at a high level -- or at any level, for that matter -- based on sponsorship dollars.

But the numbers have not panned out so far for minorities in the sport. Several prominent African-Americans have tried to either drive or own cars -- including Thee Dixon, Julius Erving, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Willy T. Ribbs -- but have found the going tough.

Last year, NASCAR spokesman Jim Hunter spoke about the issue.

"It's unfortunate for NASCAR,'' Hunter said. "But that's up to individuals. If they have the desire and the talent, the opportunity is there.''

NASCAR officials like to take pride in bragging about being representative of their fan base, yet that same fan base could be so much larger and broader if more minorities -- both fans, racers and crew members alike -- were brought into the fold.

The concept of the combine is much like those that have become commonplace in the NFL, NBA and Major League Baseball, where aspiring rookies and potential draft picks are brought together under one roof to show team owners, general managers, coaches and scouts what they have.

While long overdue, the Drive for Diversity program is an outstanding premise for a sport like NASCAR, which also prides itself on being the second most-popular sport in the U.S. While NASCAR will not actually be running Monday's events, it is providing guidance, leadership and suggestions to those behind the combine's operation.

To those who may think Monday's combine will be all flash and no substance, think again. The top drivers will be hired for as many as five positions as drivers in the Dodge Southeast Weekly Series, while as many as six aspiring crew members will be hired for similar positions with Craftsman Truck Series teams. The final winners will be notified of their new team assignments in late January.

That makes it a win-win proposition for everyone, from NASCAR to combine organizers to driver and crew member aspirants.

With any luck, it will pave the way for major change in a sport that needs it.

Jerry Bonkowski covers NASCAR for ESPN.com. He can be reached at Motorsportwriter@MSN.com.