Steve Harvey wanted to start a racing team, but his efforts stalled before they even got started because NASCAR is a good-ol’-white-boys league and Steve Harvey is … well, Steve Harvey. At least that is what Terrance Cox, CEO of Diversity Motorsports, says he believes, and he has filed a $500 million lawsuit against NASCAR and nearly all of its racing teams.

According to TMZ Sports, Cox and Harvey planned to join forces to start a new racing team called “Steve Harvey Races 4 Education,” but according to Cox, NASCAR told Harvey that it would never approve a team with Diversity Motorsports.

In a lawsuit viewed by TMZ Sports, Cox claims that only one driver in both NASCAR’s top tier, Sprint Cup, and its second tier, Xfinity Series, is African American.

Notably, one of the teams being sued, JTG Daugherty, is 10 percent owned by former NBA player Brad Daugherty, who is African American.

A NASCAR spokesperson told TMZ Sports that the organization “embraces all individuals interested and involved in our sport, whether as partners, fans, competitors or employees, and there is no merit to this lawsuit.”

“Diversity both on and off the track continues to be a top priority for NASCAR and its stakeholders,” NASCAR’s spokesperson continued. “We stand behind our actions, and will not let a publicity-seeking legal action deter us from our mission.”

NASCAR also vows to sue Cox for defamation, TMZ Sports reports.

Read Steve Harvey’s response here.

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