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Leaphart comes to The 909 Group from Bobcats Sports & Entertainment, where he served as Senior Account Executive, Premium Sales for the NBA’s Charlotte Bobcats. Prior to that, the University of South Carolina graduate held various sales and marketing positions, including Director of Sales for the ECHL’s Fresno Falcons.

“Wade’s sales and marketing experience, along with his impressive track record and ability to close deals, will serve him well at The 909 Group,” said Max Siegel, Chief Executive Officer of The 909 Group. “He will be an asset to our team and brings the skills necessary to help accelerate the growth of our company.”

As Director of Business Development, Leaphart will oversee the agency’s sales efforts.  Among other projects, he will focus on securing new partners & sponsors for the Drive for Diversity program.

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More than 200 students have participated in the program since its inception in 2000. These interns have gained experience working in marketing, engineering, public relations, licensing and various other areas. Participation in the program has led to full-time positions in the industry for a number of past interns.

“The NASCAR Diversity Internship Program has introduced dozens of students from diverse backgrounds to professional opportunities in NASCAR,” said Marcus Jadotte, NASCAR’s managing director of public affairs, who oversees the diversity department. “The program has played an important role in NASCAR’s efforts to attract the best and brightest to our industry.”

The program features internships offered by NASCAR offices, sponsors, licensees, teams, tracks and broadcast partners. In addition to NASCAR corporate offices in Daytona Beach, Charlotte, and Concord, the following companies are participating in 2009: Catalyst Public Relations, Daytona International Speedway, International Speedway Corporation (ISC), Joe Gibbs Racing, Just Marketing International, Octagon, The SPEED Channel, and The 909 Group.

The current intern class began their NASCAR experience with an orientation session during the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. The group visited the NASCAR Research and Development Center in Concord, the Sam Bass NASCAR Art Gallery, Roush Fenway Racing headquarters, attended the NASCAR Sprint Pit Crew Challenge presented by Craftsman, and the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. In addition, the group met with a number of key people in the NASCAR industry including NASCAR Sprint Cup Series crew members, drivers, and NASCAR executives.

Each year, the internships are available to college sophomores, juniors, seniors and graduate students across the country. To be eligible, students must be in good standing with their school and community and have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average.

In addition to the internship program, NASCAR awards diversity scholarships in tribute to NASCAR legend Wendell Scott, has an at-track diversity mentorship program and a college tour that visits historically black colleges and universities and Hispanic-serving institutions.

Attached is a list of the students and their colleges. More information on the internship program is available at www.diversityinternships.com.

Her focus is paying off, too. She’s a second year participant in the Drive for Diversity program, racing for Golden State Racing at Madera (Calif.) Speedway. She has two top fives and six top 10s in six starts this season.

The 22-year-old Hagar wasn’t always this driven, though.

Like many kids, Hagar went through some growing pains as she struggled to define herself as a pre-teen. She found her grades slipping and her attention in school diminishing. To add to her struggles, her sixth grade teacher died suddenly from a heart attack.

“I went through some challenging times,” says Hagar. “I was discouraged, unfocused and I wasn’t making the best decisions.”

That was before she climbed behind the wheel of a racecar.

“I was 11 years old… My dad pointed me towards racing as a way to refocus my life,” she says. “He knew he could connect with me if I had a way to focus.”

Motorsports wasn’t entirely new to Hagar, a native of Damariscotta, Maine. Her parents, Mark and Cindy, ran a race team, competing in the Charger Division at local tracks in New England. Hagar grew up around the track watching her dad’s team compete, but never took an interest in competing herself, instead playing soccer and basketball.

But when Hagar was struggling to find direction in her life, her dad knew that racing was exactly what his daughter needed.

And he was right.

When Hagar was 11, she began competing in go-karts. She transitioned to the Allison Legacy Series when she was 14. By the time she was 17 she was racing an Open Wheeled Modified and a Super Late Model in the Pro All Star Series in New England. She knew she wanted to make racing a career.

“My dad has always tried to be one step ahead of me,” says Hagar. “He knew that I needed something in my life that I could devote myself to 110 percent, and racing was it for me.”

Hagar did continue to play soccer and basketball as she honed her racing skills, and she graduated from Lincoln Academy High School in New Castle, Maine in 2004.

Today, as a participant in the Drive for Diversity program, Hagar’s life revolves around racing and doing everything she can to find a competitive edge. She’s at the gym first thing every morning. She handles her own public relations and marketing, and is always ready to make a pitch to a potential sponsor. On race day, you can find her in the grandstands, signing autographs before she climbs into her race car.

“It’s all about staying healthy, positive and determined,” she says.

Away from the race track, Hagar is using her experiences to help other kids who may be in the same place she was when she was 11-years-old. With the support of her father, she visits schools to with her youth program, Believe in Yourself 101. The program reaches different age groups, including elementary, middle and high school students.

“I use my story to show kids what you can achieve when you believe in yourself,” Hagar explains. “If you set a reachable goal and put your mind to it, you can achieve success in life. I went through some tough times, but I was able to mature and make the right choices. That’s what I try to instill in the kids I meet though Believe in Yourself 101.”

Hagar’s success story isn’t finished, though. She’s still determined to find success as a professional race car driver, but knows she hasn’t chosen the easy road.

“I’ll take it as far as it will go, but I know this is the path I was meant to take.”

Drive for Diversity is the industry’s leading development program for minority and female drivers and crew members.

The Drive for Diversity program helps to further diversify NASCAR’s participant and audience base. Diversity is NASCAR’s top corporate initiative and NASCAR has been instrumental in assisting The 909 Group in the development of Drive for Diversity. Much of the success of the Drive for Diversity initiative is a result of support from key sponsors and involved team owners.

The Drive for Diversity program has been successful in creating meaningful opportunities for minority and female competitors and has seen growth since its inception in 2004. The following drivers and crew members are products of the Drive for Diversity initiative:

• Nicole Addison – Tire Changer, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
• Mark Davis – Driver, NASCAR Nationwide Series
• Paul Harraka – Driver, 2008 NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track champion
• Jesus Hernandez – Driver, NASCAR Camping World Series
• Robert Johnson – Strength & Conditioning Coach, Roush Fenway Racing
• Carl Mabon – NASCAR Nationwide Series Official

In 2009, under the direction of The 909 Group, the program expanded to include 12 drivers and 14 crew members.

“It’s all about finding balance,” said the 21 year-old racer. “My goal is to race professionally, but education and community service are also important aspects of my life.”

In early 2008, as a first year participant in the Drive for Diversity program, Bumbera relocated from her hometown of Sealy, Texas, to California to run a 25-race schedule at All American Speedway in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series. Bumbera is back in Texas now, but she’s racing in the NASCAR Camping World Series East, traveling to 12 tracks in eight different states. She keeps up with her studies at the University of Houston with online courses.

“I’m glad to have the opportunity to continue my education,” she said. “A degree in marketing will not only help me now with my racing career, but it will also benefit me later in life to have a college education.”

Bumbera’s online courses are benefiting her two-fold; she’s earning the credits she needs for her degree and she’s also getting a lesson in self-discipline.

“Online courses aren’t as easy as some people might think,” said Bumbera. “It takes a lot of discipline to study independently and keep myself accountable, especially when I’m racing every weekend.”

When she’s not racing or studying, Bumbera is giving back to her local community and supporting diversity in racing across the country.

She, along with her sister, Kendall, and her brother, Boyd, filmed a public service announcement last summer for Safe Kids Greater Houston, an organization whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injuries, a leading killer of children 14 and under. The Bumbera siblings, all of whom race competitively, were promoting the use of booster seats for children.

“It was fun working with Kendall and Boyd on this project. We had a great time and it was for a great cause,” she said. “Hopefully as our racing careers progress we’ll have more opportunities to work together.”

In addition to advocating for special causes, Bumbera has also counseled high school students on opportunities in NASCAR’s Diversity initiatives and worked with foster children at the Buckner Children’s Home. She looks to continue her community service projects well into the future.
“I’ve been very blessed in my life,” she said. “It’s important to keep giving back no matter what.”

“Changing Lanes,” a docu-reality series expected to launch in 2010, will spotlight drivers in NASCAR’s “Drive for Diversity” program.

“I wanted to see more opportunities created in NASCAR for people of color, especially on the competition side,” said Max Siegel, a former record executive turned stock car insider.

Siegel, who had been president of Dale Earnhardt, Inc., took the idea to Jay Abraham, who runs NASCAR Media, the sport’s production arm, and together they shopped it to networks. BET will announce the show today as part of its new programming presentation.

“We’re going immediately into creative meetings,” Siegel said. “We’ll come up with a pretty quick production schedule.”

BET has bought 10 episodes of the hour-long show.

NASCAR has a number of on-and-off-track diversity programs, including the “Drive for Diversity,” which backs female and minority drivers in feeder series for the sport’s top level. Some of those drivers will participate in the reality show, said Siegel.

“Every week, there’s a lot of competition, on-track performance, a lot of back story, and getting to know the participants,” Siegel said. “We want the audience to get to know what it takes to participate at this level.”

“Changing Lanes” is far from the first reality series to delve into the sport, however.

FX aired “NASCAR Drivers 360,” a show that followed drivers on and off the track. ABC tried a celebrity series pairing stars with drivers in a race competition. And TLC aired “NASCAR Wives.”

None, however, has focused exclusively on drivers who are women or of color.

“We want to tell a true story that is racing authentic,” he said.

Few of these sports-related reality shows have become mainstream hits, however.

“For people who don’t know racing,” Siegel said, “it has drama built into it. There’s a lot of speed. There’s a lot of complexity in racing. Those are the key touch points to make an entertainment product successful.”

Does that mean villains and heroes? Well, not exactly.

“I don’t know that you necessarily need any villains,” he said. “What people need are good story lines. Look at [“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”]. We want to do things that, obviously, cast NASCAR in the exciting and fun light that it is. We won’t script it in a way where we’re creating villains and rivalries.”

Siegel said NASCAR officials have gone a long way in diversifying the sport, noting that there’s been an impact off the track, but he acknowledged that until there’s a top female driver or one of color, NASCAR will continue to be criticized.

“I do think fans will catch on when we do have a star that people can connect with,” Siegel said, hoping to have a hand in that with “Changing Lanes.” “It will have an impact.”

“I’ve been around cars and racing my whole life,” said Sather, whose father owns car dealerships. “People who know me say I could sell snow to an Eskimo, so I always thought I’d make a good salesperson.”

For now though, Sather is focusing on her dream of becoming a professional race car driver as a member of the 2009 Drive for Diversity class. And she’s not letting that stop her from being a girl.

The 23-year-old from Fargo, N.D. started racing go-karts when she was eight and moved to sprint cars in 2002. With her mom by her side, she traveled the country while moving up the sprint car ranks.

“I don’t know how many girls can say they spent every Saturday night in high school with their mom,” she said. “That’s what I did, though, and I wouldn’t trade it. My mom is my biggest supporter; we’ve been traveling and racing together since I was 12 years old.”

Sather says she’s the girliest tomboy you’ll ever meet and she just might be right. During the 2003 off-season she competed in the Miss North Dakota Teen USA pageant where she was voted Miss Congeniality. She went on to compete in the 2006 Miss North Dakota USA pageant where she was second runner-up. She was also captain of her cheerleading squad in high school.

Don’t let the beauty pageants fool you, though. Sather isn’t afraid to get a little dirt under her manicured fingernails. In high school she transferred to a school in a nearby town so she could take classes her hometown school didn’t offer – mechanics, welding and building construction. She recently moved from North Dakota to Monroe, Wash. where she’s racing with Total Velocity Motorsports this season. She’s at the race shop every day, working on her super late model and learning everything she can. Sather knows it’s important for a driver to know what’s going on with the race car.

“It might sound silly, but I’ve always lived by the motto ‘if you treat a car good, it’ll treat you good,’” she said. “That’s why I’m in the shop every day working with the guys. I want to be involved in the whole process so I do whatever I can to help, whether it’s cleaning the car and the trailer or changing oil. Whatever needs to be done I’ll do it.”

Sather’s willingness to help out at the shop has helped her fit in with her new race team.

“It’s a little bit like a circus – we’re always joking around and having a good time, but when it’s time to work everyone gets down to business and pulls their weight. I’ve only been here for a short time, but I can honestly say this team is my family.”

Sather is hoping that her new found family will help make her transition from dirt to asphalt a smooth one. She’s competing on asphalt for the first time this season in cars she is unfamiliar with. She looks to one of her idols, Jeff Gordon, for motivation.

“I’ve always admired what he’s done for the sport,” she said. “He came from open-wheel and has had a successful career in NASCAR. He didn’t give up and he didn’t forget where he came from.”

Sather made her asphalt super late model debut April 11, scoring a top-10 finish. She’ll be racing the full season for the Drive for Diversity program at the 0.375 and 0.625-mile tracks at Evergreen Speedway. She’ll also be racing as many sprint car races as she can fit into her schedule.

“I can’t leave the dirt. I love it. It’s what I grew up on,” she said.