Derek White (racing driver)

White spent 30 years drag racing in Canada, before deciding to switch to stock car racing in 2009.^[1] That year, he ran five races in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, with a best finish of 11th in his series debut at Autodrome Saint-Eustache.^[2] The following year, he ran eleven of thirteen races, recording a top ten at the season-opener at Delaware Speedway.^[3] At the end of the year, he was named Rookie of the Year.^[4]

In 2014, White made a start in the American Canadian Tour, competing in the season-ending race at Airborne Speedway; he finished 22nd after starting 33rd.^[5]

In 2009, White made his Camping World Truck Series debut for Mario Gosselin at Martinsville Speedway, finishing 23rd after starting 34th.^[6]

In 2012, White was hired by SR² Motorsports to run as a road course ringer for the Nationwide Series race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. In the No. 24, he finished a career-high 18th. Before the 2014 Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway, White formed Motorsports Business Management with driver Carl Long as principal.^[1] The team made its racing debut as MBM Motorsports at the race with Matt Carter as driver of the No. 13.^[7] For six more races in 2014, White fielded rides for himself, Long and Mike Wallace, failing to qualify for four and not finishing all six races they had qualified.^[8][9][10]

In 2015, White and Long were joined by team owners Rick Ware and Curtis Key as partners,^[11] and the team eventually added the No. 40 team.^[7] Before the Winn-Dixie 300 at Talladega Superspeedway, White was penalized 15 drivers and owners points for an unsecured ballast.^[12]

On July 13, White announced that he would make his Sprint Cup Series debut at the 5-hour Energy 301 in Loudon for Circle Sport, the first Native American to attempt a Cup Series race in series history.^[13] After qualifying 42nd, he finished 39th, eleven laps down.^[14]

From Kahnawake, Quebec,^[15] White is of Mohawk descent.^[4]

On March 30, 2016, White turned himself in for his involvement in a tobacco smuggling ring. The circle, targeted by Sûreté du Québec's MYGALE project, began in 2014 and had smuggled at least 158 transports to Canada, including 2,294 tons of tobacco worth $530 million.^[16] The tobacco was then sold to First Nations persons in the country.^[17] On April 4, he was indefinitely suspended by NASCAR.^[18]

In 2019, White was acquitted on one of the two charges of fraud and conspiracy to commit fraud. However, he was found guilty of fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and profiting from organized crime for not paying excise tax on tobacco that was imported from the United States. He appealed, and on 1 November 2023, convictions against White and another accused were overturned. They had argued that Excise Tax Act tariffs on imports were not applicable to Mohawk people based on their Constitution Act Section 35 rights as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples rights to trade tobacco tax-free. They argued that the Mohawk nation has the right to control its economy based on based on exercise of treaty rights from 1664 through to 1764.^[19]

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

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Derek White.

• Derek White driver statistics at Racing-Reference
• Derek White owner statistics at Racing-Reference