Stephen Rhodes (racing driver)

Stephen Rhodes (born March 27, 1984) is an American stock car racing driver. A former competitor in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, he is seeking to return to competition in the sport. When he made his debut in 2003, he became the first openly gay driver to compete in a NASCAR national touring series event.

Stephen Rhodes
Born (1984-03-27) March 27, 1984
Goldsboro, North Carolina
Achievements2000 Four-Cylinder Stock Division Champion, Southern National Speedway
1997 Champ Star Division Champion, Johnston County Speedway
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
2 races run over 1 year
Best finish87th (2003)
First race2003 Lucas Oil 250 (Mesa Marin)
Last race2003 Advance Auto Parts 250 (Martinsville)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0
Statistics current as of September 26, 2013.

Personal life

Rhodes was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where he attended Rosewood High School.[1] Rhodes is openly gay.[2] He came out at age seventeen, one year before he made his NASCAR Truck Series debut.[3] He co-owned Brown Bag Cafe and Matchbox Restaurant & Bar in Goldsboro with his now ex-husband, Andy Mitchell.[2] They were married in Manhattan on July 3, 2013.[4]

Racing career

Rhodes began his racing career in 1992 at the age of eight. He started his career in go-kart racing, competing on dirt tracks before switching over to racing on asphalt-surfaced circuits.[2][3] In 2001, Rhodes moved up to the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division at Southern National Raceway Park.[3] In 2003, Rhodes competed in two Craftsman Truck Series races, driving the No. 66 Dodge Ram for MLB Motorsports; on March 23, four days before his 19th birthday, Rhodes made his Truck Series debut in the Lucas Oil 250 at Mesa Marin Raceway, where he started 33rd and finished 30th.[5] On April 12, Rhodes competed in the Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville Speedway, where he started 32nd and finished 21st.[5] He finished 87th in the final season point standings.[6]

Rhodes was the first openly gay driver to compete in NASCAR's national touring series.[7] Rhodes later returned to the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division at SNRP, where he competed until 2010.[2][3] In July 2013, Rhodes stated that he was seeking to return to full-time competition in the renamed Camping World Truck Series in 2014.[7]

Rhodes is featured in the cover story for the "Ride Review" issue of Lavender Magazine (March 19–April 1, 2015).[8]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Camping World Truck Series
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 NCTC Pts Ref
2003 MLB Motorsports 66 Dodge DAY DAR MMR
30		 MAR
21		 CLT DOV TEX MEM MLW KAN KEN GTW MCH IRP NSH BRI RCH NHA CAL LVS SBO TEX MAR PHO HOM 87th 173 [5]

* Season still in progress
1 Ineligible for series points

See also

References
  1. "Stephen Rhodes - Mobile Uploads". Facebook. January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  2. "Is NASCAR Ready For An Openly Gay Driver?". Foxsports.com. July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on September 16, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  3. "Out of the Tunnel Podcast Show 48". Queers4Gears.com. May 6, 2013. Archived from the original on September 29, 2013. Retrieved September 26, 2013.
  4. "Stephen Rhodes - Mobile Uploads". Facebook. December 30, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2014.
  5. "Stephen Rhodes - 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  6. "NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings for 2003". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  7. Brown, Zach (July 20, 2013). "What do NASCAR fans think of openly gay driver trying to get into Truck Series?". Autoweek. Retrieved 2013-09-27.
  8. Stern, Randy (March 19, 2015). "Stephen Rhodes: Out Racing For Equality". Lavender. Retrieved May 3, 2015.
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