As Dystany Spurlock was getting ready for her debut, her haters were doing everything in their power to stomp on her authority in the sport. Her social media and her participation in the NHRA motorcycle drag racing class made it clear that she was serious about stock car racing. Yet people were calling her out and insulting her Black ethnicity and her sexuality. But instead of facing those fans head-on, Spurlock gave them the best answer.

Dystany Spurlock turns historic debut memorable

Spurlock, who came with the humble intention of just finishing her debut race, ended up actually finishing in 7th place. And she had a no-nonsense answer for all who were trying to hate her from the social media comments:

“I’m learning still, but I’m having fun most importantly.”

When Spurlock was starting her race as the first Black woman to race in a NASCAR-affiliated series, people did not expect her to put on a really strong performance. The controversial comments leaned heavily on her background. Whereas the other fans were being modest about a driver who is starting to switch from motorcycle racing to stock cars.

It’s not easy to switch divisions in such an extreme manner. Yet, Spurlock managed to do it just fine at the Hickory Speedway. Additionally, it is also one of the toughest races on the ARCA Menards schedule. It just goes on to prove how good a driver she is, despite the racism directed against her.

As a rookie, Dystany Spurlock was rather modest about her expectations, but she did deliver on her promises without fail. “Yes, I had a lot of fun. My ultimate goal was to finish the race and then I said, ‘Okay, after that the goal will be to finish in the top 10.’ Well, we finished in seventh. So I think that is great for my first start in the ARCA Menard series. So I’m excited.”

As a drag racer in the motorcycle division, Spurlock is used to extremely fast acceleration and instant results. So how was a full-blown lap-by-lap race in a heavy stock car for her? Sharing her experience, Dystany Spurlock says that her car’s performance helped her a lot during the race.

“What did I learn about the car? The car was fast. Um, super fast to the point where even if I made a mistake, I could pick it up because I was fast coming out of each turn. So, it was great.

“Let’s talk about this lap traffic. They actually did pretty well. Okay, so when I came up on them, they stayed low so I could just go past them up, you know, go on the high side. So, it was pretty good. Um, yeah, they aren’t getting my way too bad.”

At the end of the interview, Spurlock also teased that her next appearance in the stock car class is going to be at the Rockingham Speedway. But what is the motivation that drives her to break the stigma and go against haters to prove her speed as an amazing driver?

Dystany Spurlock is doing it all to inspire

“It opens up the eyes of other little girls and little boys who look like me and say, ‘Hey, I can really do this,’” Spurlock said. “But more so the girls, because you have Bubba, Rajah, and Lavar as Black drivers in NASCAR, but there are no women. 

“Even when I race motorcycles and I go to schools for career days, they know nothing about drag racing at all to even know it’s a thing or that a girl does it. So when they see me, when I say they light up. … I can see the motivation in them to achieve their dreams in whatever it is they want to do.’”

NASCAR has seen a lot less participation from women, especially at the national level. In a similar manner, the likes of Rajah Caruth and Bubba Wallace have only recently started to make the sport more mainstream and inclusive for everyone. Yet when it comes to Spurlock, she had an even bigger hurdle.

Not only was she a woman but also a racer of Black ethnicity. As such, there were not a lot of opportunities for her in the sport, but she never gave up hope. She also put in considerable effort and pursued racing education from the likes of Skip Barber Racing School in formula cars.

For Spurlock, the breakthrough came when she met Chris Harris. The co-founder of Foxxtecca put his belief in her as a unicorn. And now, she is going to take her first step in proving him right with a busy ARCA Menards schedule for the 2026 season alongside her full-time NHRA ride.