ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 21: Former Dallas Cowboys running back Emmitt Smith as Smith prepares to receive his Hall of Fame ring during a halftime ceremony at Cowboys Stadium on November 21, 2010 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)NFL legend Emmitt Smith is following in Michael Jordan’s footsteps and becoming involved in the NASCAR community.
Smith and driver Jesee Iwuji have launched a team and plan to compete in the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time this season. He’s bought into No. 34, although he originally had plans to obtain No. 22, the same number Smith wore during his NFL career.
The football legend believes this is a tremendous investment as NASCAR as a whole is on the rise in popularity.
“I think there’s tremendous opportunity here,” Smith said, via NASCAR.com. “NASCAR has actually opened the door for minorities to come in and actually own their teams. Ownership is really the key to any type of change you really want to create. If you don’t own it, you can’t really change it. It’s not a bottom-up approach, it’s really a top-down approach. I’ve never seen a poor person tell a rich person how to invest their money.
“With that said, you have to be at the table to influence something in the most positive way.”
Emmitt Smith’s No. 1 priority right now is learning the ins and outs of the NASCAR business. This is a new venture for the NFL legend, but not one he’s going to shy away from.
“I’m drinking out of a firehose right now trying to learn every aspect of this business from start to finish,” Smith continued. “I don’t want to learn how to put a car together, but I definitely want to understand some of the strategy and some other nuances about the sport I can actually learn.
“I want to learn about the businesses around the sport, and I want to learn how to help this man become successful in this sport. This is new. Everything is a learning curve.”
Smith could become a powerhouse within the NASCAR community within just a few years.
