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Dystany Spurlock continues to be a disruptor. The 34-year-old will make her fifth ARCA Menards Series start of the year at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Friday.
In March, Spurlock (whose first name is pronounced Destiny) became the first Black woman to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned series when she raced in the ARCA Menards Series East at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina. After doing two races in the East series, Spurlock made it to the premier ARCA series in April, when she finished 10th at Kansas Speedway.
Less than a year after Spurlock raced in her second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race at IRP, she’ll return to the track, but in a stock car this time.
“To be able to know that I raced over there on the drag strip and now I'm over here on the circle track,” Spurlock told IndyStar, “that means so much to me because I did not know that this would happen so fast within a year’s time.”
Most of Spurlock’s experience before this year came in motorcycle drag racing. She has also raced arena carts and drove in Skip Barber’s Formula 4 series in 2023.
Five years ago, Spurlock met Chris Harris, who went on to create the media company Foxxtecca with Kellie Crawford in 2025. Crawford and Harris, who’s the president of the African American Automotive Association, have helped fund the start of Spurlock’s stock car career.
“If there was some way that they can be able to come in and support me in getting to this point in NASCAR, they always said they would do it,” Spurlock said of Crawford and Harris. “So the fact that they helped me debut in NHRA and now they helped me debut in the ARCA series is huge for me because I've been trying to get to this point for 16, 17 years.”
This weekend, Spurlock’s No. 66 MBM Motorsports Toyota will be sponsored by She Pivots. She Pivots is a media company founded by Emily Tisch Sussman, whose family owns half of the New York Giants and co-owns Gotham FC of the NWSL.
Tisch Sussman started the She Pivots podcast during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she ended her nearly two-decade career as a political strategist and had three children. The brand’s focus is women like herself and Spurlock, who have undergone career and/or life “pivots.”
Tisch Sussman and Spurlock met in March at a “Women in Sports” gathering at journalist Gloria Steinem’s house. They were reconnected by film producer Crystal McCrary, leading to She Pivots sponsoring Spurlock’s entry on Friday. Tisch Sussman felt like it was a “natural fit.”
“As soon as I met Dystany, I knew that she had a kindred energy,” Tisch Sussman said. “She has confidence, she has positivity. As soon as you meet her, she’s magnetic, and you know that she's going to do great things and you want to be a part of it.”
Spurlock, who will return to IRP for the NHRA U.S. Nationals in September, is the first athlete to receive sponsorship from She Pivots. Although Tisch Sussman knew nothing about motorsports before meeting Spurlock, she’s helping her break barriers.
“A sport is only going to become better once we question the presumptions,” Tisch Sussman said. “Why is she in straps that are not fit for a woman's body? She has to be in the room to be able to move it forward.”
Spurlock, who also did the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway in May, hopes to upgrade to a full season in the ARCA Menards Series next year and around half of the truck races as well. She’ll need adequate financial backing to do so, and Tisch Sussman didn’t turn down the idea of continuing to sponsor Spurlock.
It’s unknown whether Spurlock, who played safety and cornerback in high school football, will reach a full-time schedule in 2027, but her first season has been “surprisingly amazing,” leading her to want to stay in the NASCAR-sanctioned series.
“I've always been in these male-dominated spaces,” Spurlock said. “So, for me to get to the point where I am now … to me, it’s my normal. To other people, it looks not normal because it's not a lot of us. But I’ve just always been an advocate for myself to do the things that I want to do, regardless of if it's traditional or not.”
Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: First Black woman in NASCAR history to race at Indianapolis Raceway Park
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In March, Spurlock (whose first name is pronounced Destiny) became the first Black woman to compete in a NASCAR-sanctioned series when she raced in the ARCA Menards Series East at Hickory Motor Speedway in Hickory, North Carolina. After doing two races in the East series, Spurlock made it to the premier ARCA series in April, when she finished 10th at Kansas Speedway.
Less than a year after Spurlock raced in her second NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle race at IRP, she’ll return to the track, but in a stock car this time.
“To be able to know that I raced over there on the drag strip and now I'm over here on the circle track,” Spurlock told IndyStar, “that means so much to me because I did not know that this would happen so fast within a year’s time.”
Most of Spurlock’s experience before this year came in motorcycle drag racing. She has also raced arena carts and drove in Skip Barber’s Formula 4 series in 2023.
Five years ago, Spurlock met Chris Harris, who went on to create the media company Foxxtecca with Kellie Crawford in 2025. Crawford and Harris, who’s the president of the African American Automotive Association, have helped fund the start of Spurlock’s stock car career.
“If there was some way that they can be able to come in and support me in getting to this point in NASCAR, they always said they would do it,” Spurlock said of Crawford and Harris. “So the fact that they helped me debut in NHRA and now they helped me debut in the ARCA series is huge for me because I've been trying to get to this point for 16, 17 years.”
This weekend, Spurlock’s No. 66 MBM Motorsports Toyota will be sponsored by She Pivots. She Pivots is a media company founded by Emily Tisch Sussman, whose family owns half of the New York Giants and co-owns Gotham FC of the NWSL.
Tisch Sussman started the She Pivots podcast during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she ended her nearly two-decade career as a political strategist and had three children. The brand’s focus is women like herself and Spurlock, who have undergone career and/or life “pivots.”
Tisch Sussman and Spurlock met in March at a “Women in Sports” gathering at journalist Gloria Steinem’s house. They were reconnected by film producer Crystal McCrary, leading to She Pivots sponsoring Spurlock’s entry on Friday. Tisch Sussman felt like it was a “natural fit.”
“As soon as I met Dystany, I knew that she had a kindred energy,” Tisch Sussman said. “She has confidence, she has positivity. As soon as you meet her, she’s magnetic, and you know that she's going to do great things and you want to be a part of it.”
Spurlock, who will return to IRP for the NHRA U.S. Nationals in September, is the first athlete to receive sponsorship from She Pivots. Although Tisch Sussman knew nothing about motorsports before meeting Spurlock, she’s helping her break barriers.
“A sport is only going to become better once we question the presumptions,” Tisch Sussman said. “Why is she in straps that are not fit for a woman's body? She has to be in the room to be able to move it forward.”
Spurlock, who also did the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Dover Motor Speedway in May, hopes to upgrade to a full season in the ARCA Menards Series next year and around half of the truck races as well. She’ll need adequate financial backing to do so, and Tisch Sussman didn’t turn down the idea of continuing to sponsor Spurlock.
It’s unknown whether Spurlock, who played safety and cornerback in high school football, will reach a full-time schedule in 2027, but her first season has been “surprisingly amazing,” leading her to want to stay in the NASCAR-sanctioned series.
“I've always been in these male-dominated spaces,” Spurlock said. “So, for me to get to the point where I am now … to me, it’s my normal. To other people, it looks not normal because it's not a lot of us. But I’ve just always been an advocate for myself to do the things that I want to do, regardless of if it's traditional or not.”
Zion Brown is IndyStar's motorsports reporter. Follow him at @z10nbr0wn. Get IndyStar's motor sports coverage sent directly to your inbox with our Motor Sports newsletter. Subscribe to the YouTube channel IndyStar TV: IndyCar for a behind-the-scenes look at IndyCar and expert analysis.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: First Black woman in NASCAR history to race at Indianapolis Raceway Park
Continue reading...
