June 10 (Bloomberg) -- A former Nascar official is suing the stock-car racing league for $225 million, claiming racial and sexual discrimination, sexual harassment and wrongful termination.

Mauricia Grant, Nascar's first black female official, was a technical inspector on the second-tier Nationwide Series until her Oct. 27, 2007, firing, according to the complaint filed today in the U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

She accused Nascar of permitting a ``permissive and encouraging environment for racial and sexual discrimination and harassment among directors, managers, supervisors, officials and employees of the company against African-American and female employees,'' according to the filing.

Nascar spokesman Ramsey Poston said in a statement that the Daytona Beach, Florida-based organization hadn't had a chance to review the lawsuit.

``With regard to the specific case, Nascar has a zero- tolerance policy for harassment,'' Poston said. ``We won't get into specifics through the media but we will address all claims fully and in detail in our response to the courts.''

Nascar is the biggest U.S. racing league by sales and claims to be the No. 2 most-watched sport on U.S. television behind the National Football League. It was founded in Daytona Beach in 1948 and remained a sport of the Southern U.S. until expanding to larger markets in the last decade.

Black History

Wendell Scott was the only black driver to win a race in Nascar's top series with a victory at Jacksonville, Florida, in 1963. Scott wasn't announced as the winner of that race and the trophy was awarded to the second-place driver. Nascar later issued a correction. Five other black drivers have competed in Nascar's top series, most recently Bill Lester 2006.

No women race full time in Nascar's top series. Patty Moise Sawyer had five starts in what was then the Winston Cup Series from 1987-89.

Grant, who said in the complaint that she was used by Nascar to promote its diversity program, made dozens of specific allegations in the filing, including that she was subjected to racially degrading nicknames, references to the Ku Klux Klan, and comments about her body throughout her tenure.

``If perception is reality, then Nascar has taken a heavy hit in their Drive for Diversity,'' said John Ackley, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor who teaches a course on the business of Nascar. ``It certainly sounds very serious.''

Ackley, who has read the lawsuit, said the long list of alleged offenses and the number of details supplied by the complainant may strike a nerve with the public.

``People can identify with that sort of situation,'' he said.

The case is Mauricia Grant vs. National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing Inc., number 08-CV-5276, in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (Manhattan).

To contact the reporter on this story: Mason Levinson in New York at mlevinson@bloomberg.net; Gene Laverty in Calgary at glaverty@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 10, 2008 17:08 EDT