Associated Press
CONCORD ó NASCAR chairman Brian France denied Wednesday that a former official complained to her supervisors about racial and sexual discrimination, claims she alleged led to her eventual firing.
Mauricia Grant filed a $225 million suit against NASCAR on Tuesday, alleging racial discrimination, sexual harassment and retaliatory termination. Grant, who is black, worked as a technical inspector for NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series.
France said Wednesday the detailed filing was the first NASCAR learned of her claims.
“The disappointing thing is she makes a lot of claims, none of them reported,” said France. “The fact that it went on as she stated, for many months, but never bothered to tell anyone at management what was going on ó which is what our policy says ó is very disappointing.
“We would have liked, if those type things were in fact going on, we would have loved to have done an investigation and a review of such an allegation.”
France said NASCAR will review Grant’s claims, which included 23 specific incidents of alleged sexual harassment and 34 specific incidents of alleged racial and gender discrimination she says began when she was hired in January 2005 through her October 2007 firing.
NASCAR will not disclose why Grant was fired late in the 2007 season.
In her suit, she claims 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.
In addition, 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.
NASCAR’s investigation is expected to include Grant’s human resources file and interviews with everyone identified in the lawsuit.