Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc., the official drive-thru restaurant and burger of NASCAR® and the nation’s largest chain of double drive-thru restaurants, announced plans to further NASCAR’s diversity initiative with sponsorship of Bill Davis Racing’s driver Bill Lester at a press conference yesterday at California Speedway.

In May of 2004, NASCAR officials announced the formation of an Executive Steering Committee for Diversity; Earvin “Magic” Johnson was retained as co-chair along with NASCAR chief operating officer George Pyne. It was the first step in putting more minorities into the grass-roots levels of NASCAR, with the hope of grooming young men and women of color for rides in NASCAR’s top level, the Nextel Cup Series, according to NASCAR.com. Johnson, owner of Magic Johnson Enterprises, assists in the creation of programs such as Drive for Diversity, which finds and develops black, Hispanic, and female drivers and crew members.