:Stephen Rhodes (racing driver)

{{Infobox NASCAR driver

| name = Stephen Rhodes

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1984|03|27}}

| birth_place = Goldsboro, North Carolina

| height =

| weight =

| achievements = 2000 Four-Cylinder Stock Division Champion, Southern National Motorsports Park
1997 Champ Star Division Champion, Johnston County Speedway

| awards =

| Total_Truck_Races = 2

| Years_In_Truck = 1

| Truck_Car_Team =

| Prev_Truck_Pos =

| Prev_Truck_Year =

| Best_Truck_Pos = 87th (2003)

| First_Truck_Race = 2003 Lucas Oil 250 (Mesa Marin)

| Last_Truck_Race = 2003 Advance Auto Parts 250 (Martinsville)

| First_Truck_Win =

| Last_Truck_Win =

| Truck_Wins = 0

| Truck_Top_Tens = 0

| Truck_Poles = 0

| updated = September 26, 2013

}}

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.

Personal life

Rhodes was born in Goldsboro, North Carolina, where he attended Rosewood High School.{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=513692148744149&set=a.452118261568205.1073741830.413619958751369&type=1&theater|title=Stephen Rhodes - Mobile Uploads|work=Facebook|date=January 3, 2014|accessdate=January 30, 2014}} Rhodes is openly gay.{{cite web|url=http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/shakeandbake/is-nascar-ready-for-an-openly-gay-driver-071713|title=Is NASCAR Ready For An Openly Gay Driver?|work=Foxsports.com|date=July 17, 2013|access-date=September 26, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130916073736/http://msn.foxsports.com/nascar/shakeandbake/is-nascar-ready-for-an-openly-gay-driver-071713|archive-date=September 16, 2013}} He came out at age seventeen, one year before he made his NASCAR Truck Series debut. He co-owned Brown Bag Cafe and Matchbox Restaurant & Bar in Goldsboro with his now ex-husband, Andy Mitchell. They were married in Manhattan on July 3, 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=511842608929103&set=a.420385011408197.1073741825.413619958751369&type=1&theater|title=Stephen Rhodes - Mobile Uploads|work=Facebook|date=December 30, 2013|accessdate=January 30, 2014}}

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.{{cite web|url=http://queers4gears.com/2013/05/06/out-of-the-tunnel-podcast-show-48/|title=Out of the Tunnel Podcast Show 48|work=Queers4Gears.com|date=May 6, 2013|access-date=September 26, 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929141444/http://queers4gears.com/2013/05/06/out-of-the-tunnel-podcast-show-48/|archive-date=September 29, 2013}} In 2001, Rhodes moved up to the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division at Southern National Motorsports Park. 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.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/drivdet/rhodest01/2003/C|title=Stephen Rhodes - 2003 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=USA Today Sports Media Group|accessdate=2013-09-27}} On April 12, Rhodes competed in the Advance Auto Parts 250 at Martinsville Speedway, where he started 32nd and finished 21st. He finished 87th in the final season point standings.{{cite web|url=http://racing-reference.info/yeardet/2003/C|title=NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series standings for 2003|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=USA Today Sports Media Group|accessdate=2013-09-27}}

Rhodes was the first openly gay driver to compete in NASCAR's national touring series.{{cite web|url=http://www.autoweek.com/article/20130720/nascar03/130729996|title=What do NASCAR fans think of openly gay driver trying to get into Truck Series?|last=Brown|first=Zach|date=July 20, 2013|work=Autoweek|accessdate=2013-09-27}} Rhodes later returned to the NASCAR Late Model Stock Division at SNMP, where he competed until 2010. In July 2013, Rhodes stated that he was seeking to return to full-time competition in the renamed Camping World Truck Series in 2014.

In popular media

Rhodes is featured in the cover story for the "Ride Review" issue of Lavender Magazine (March 19–April 1, 2015).{{cite web|last=Stern|first=Randy|url=http://www.lavendermagazine.com/our-homes/meet-our-next-out-and-proud-sports-hero-a-racing-driver|title=Stephen Rhodes: Out Racing For Equality|work=Lavender|date=March 19, 2015|accessdate=May 3, 2015}}

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==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
colspan=45\| 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 ! {{Tooltip\|NCTC\|NASCAR Craftsman Truck classification}} ! Pts ! Ref
2003 ! MLB Motorsports ! 66 ! Dodge \| DAY \| DAR \| style="background:#CFCFFF;"\| MMR 30 \| style="background:#CFCFFF;"\| 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 !

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"

colspan=45| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series results

Year

! Team

! No.

! Make

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6