Dystany Spurlock on Going First in NASCAR, Faith, Football, Acting & Avatar

HOUSTON, Tx. – Dystany Spurlock was mid-sentence when the barking started.

She did not flinch. Did not apologize. Just pivoted with a grin.

“That’s Drogo,” she said. “From Game of Thrones, not Rocky.”

Of course it is. Because Dystany Spurlock does not do anything halfway, and she does not name her Cane Corso after the fighter beaten by Rocky, instead gives him the fictional Dothraki leader's name who wedded the Mother of Dragons, Khal Drogo. Strong. Powerful. Fearless.

Spurlock joined the HBCU Legends for a candid interview since making history March 28 at Hickory Motor Speedway, where she became the first Black woman to compete in a NASCAR-affiliated series, finishing seventh in the ARCA Menards Series East Cook Out 200.

Dystany, quite transparent, dived headfirst into a career retrospective, part cultural conversation, and part window into the woman underneath the motorsports helmet. The “earthy, spiritual, funny, focused, and genuinely unbothered” trailblazer isn’t fazed by the magnitude of what she has done – because she believes more is ahead.

“NASCAR has always been my heart,” she said early in the conversation, the same line she has used in other interviews – but this time, with Drogo rumbling in the background and a Gunna playlist apparently cued up for later, it landed differently.

“It’s not about me. I’m doing this to learn the things – to unlearn the things – for the next ones that are coming up.”

Her Road to North Carolina

The story of how Spurlock ended up in Statesville, N.C. – NASCAR’s unofficial hometown – involves six years of relationship-building, a leap of faith, and a two-week notice she handed in with her eyes wide open.

She has told parts of this story before, but she filled in details here that have not surfaced widely. Racing was always the destination. Getting there took everything else first.

“I started at 3 riding on the back of motorcycles with my parents,” she said. “Got a go kart at 5. Went to the drag strip at 12, and that’s when I told my mom I wanted to race motorcycles.”

Her mother did not hesitate. At 16, Spurlock had her first motorcycle. Three months later, she had a world record.

But NASCAR – introduced to her by her grandfather, her Poppy, when she was 5 or 6 – was never far from her mind. She tried to bridge the worlds. Deals materialized and dissolved. COVID took one. The gatekeeping of motorsports took others.

“If you’re not born into it or you don’t have a boatload of money, it’s almost merely impossible to get into it,” she said.

Chris Harris and Kellie Crawford of Foxxtecca changed the equation. Spurlock has known Harris for six years. Crawford for two. They believed from the beginning, and when the right opportunity aligned with MBM Motorsports and team owner Carl Long, they moved quickly.

“They said, hey, pack up your stuff, find a house, we gotta go to North Carolina,” she recalled. “And I’m like, what you mean? You sure? Because I’ve had so many people tell me this is what we’re going to do – but when it comes time to sign the contracts, it doesn’t happen.”

She prayed. She gave her two weeks. She moved.

Her docuseries, Driven by Dystany: The Road to NASCAR, captured the moment she parked her truck for the last time – her face carrying every emotion at once.

“I didn’t just drive trucks as a job. I love trucking. That was a part of me,” she said. “So to know that I’m really putting down my job to go after my career and race it – it was a surreal moment.”

The Girl Who Played Corner

Spurlock laughed and walked them through her football days. She was already on the cheerleading team and doing track and field. She was already the girl playing football in the street with the boys. When she saw that her school had football tryouts, she showed up.

She made the team. But there was an asterisk by her name: See coach before practice.

“They wanted to have a meeting with my mom because they were trying to kick me off the team,” she said. “But they couldn’t tell me I couldn’t play because there was nothing in the rule book that said women can’t play.”

She started in middle school. In high school, she played cornerback and safety. She got a pick. She carried it back to around the 50-yard line.

“I definitely made tackles. I definitely got a pick before,” she said, with the same matter-of-fact confidence she brings to everything else.

Dystany Spurlock - Fearless Pioneer in Motorsports | Credit: Dystany Spurlock

Dystany's Speed, and World Record on Her First Ride

Before the stock car conversation, Spurlock walked us through her motorcycle drag racing resume – and she pushed back on the framing immediately.

The 8.46-second, 163 mph quarter-mile run that set a world record? Slow, she said.

“Now in NHRA, we go like 180. My average speed is like 186 or something like that, but they can go 200,” she said.

What made the BMW record notable was not just the number but the moment. It was her first time on that bike. She went faster than anyone ever had on it. When they asked how it felt, her answer was immediate.

“It felt fun. I want to do it again.”

She acknowledged she is “probably crazy,” then explained what happens when you log enough hours at those speeds. Everything else gets slow. She can narrate an entire run from start to finish – every gear, every bump, every landmark on the track – in real time.

What surfaced in the interview was a name that deserves more recognition: Peggy Llewellyn, the first Black woman to compete in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle category. Spurlock is second.

“Peggy Llewellyn paved the way for us,” Spurlock said. “I would love to see Peggy get back out there. She definitely paved the way for all of us.”

And for those focused only on the NASCAR side: Spurlock also did Formula 4 for a year and a half. Arena kart racing. Skip Barber. She arrived at stock cars with more background than many realize.

“People are like, how’s the transition from motorcycles to cars?” she said. “Y’all know I did Formula 4.”

The one thing stock cars have that Formula 4 does not? Permission to make contact.

“Stock cars – oh, you can get in there,” she said.

The Training Life: Ski Machine, Sim Time, and Tough Trainer

Physical preparation is a necessity, and Spurlock provided a detailed, disciplined blueprint.

A full day at the training facility starts with stretching, then the ski machine and the rower – two pieces of equipment her personal trainer, Bri, prioritizes for stamina. From there: bench, squat, leg press, heavy lifting.

“I’ve always loved working out. That’s one of my biggest focuses in what I do,” she said. “I tell her: don’t, if you know I can go harder – push me. I don’t care if I say no, let’s do it.”

The sim component is equally serious. Minimum one hour. On new tracks, four hours a day until the circuit feels natural. She uses iRacing for her car simulation, setups, and tuning.

“We are new here. We are still learning,” she said, laughing. “I’m not there yet.” On the sim, she borrows setups from experienced racers. In time, that changes.

She also works with performance coach Phil Horton on reaction skills, training alongside MBM Motorsports teammate Lavar Scott, who has become a genuine resource.

“Lavar is like my little brother. We work out at the same facility. Anytime I have a question, I will call him, text him, FaceTime him in a minute,” she said. “We did our track walk together at Rockingham, so he was able to help me with some things I didn’t know.”

As for Bubba Wallace and Rajah Caruth – she has met Caruth before, and she expects those conversations to deepen. But she is not waiting on anyone to validate the path she is already on.

Dystany Spurlock | Credit: Dystany Spurlock

Dystany Off the Track

Spurlock describes herself away from motorsports: “I’m very earthy. I’m a very earthy, spiritual girly, bubbly girly. I love nature. Water is my thing,” she said. “And a healer – I would also say that too, because for some reason, everybody comes to me, people who don’t even know me, and they be telling me their life stories. And I’m like, it’s gonna be okay. You got this.”

Her favorite movie: Avatar. Which explains the face sparkles.

Spurlock cannot wear jewelry in NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition. That created a problem for someone who, by her own description, is very much a girly. Her solution was characteristically hers: she found face sparkles that resemble the bioluminescent freckles on the Na’vi characters in Avatar, and made them her signature.

“When I look at myself in the mirror, or the little kids look at me and say, I love your sparkles – that really ignites a fire in me,” she said. “It brings on my inner Avatar.”

She is a Gunna fan first, everything else second. Gospel for hype. A little country, but not too much. Music, she said, is her soul. The headphones go on before she gets in the car.

She loves Game of Thrones, has started House of the Dragon, but hasn’t finished it, and she promised she would get there. He told her the world-building is worth the slow patches. She trusts him.

She is interested in acting but admitted needing help filming self-tapes. He agreed they would link.

She watches Moana and aspires to the kind of longevity Zoe Saldana has built across franchises. She wants to be the new Disney princess.

The Foundation, the Gatekeeping, Glad Going Thru the Mud

The most revealing exchange of the interview came near the end, when asked about her driving force.

Her answer was immediate, because she has lived it for years: “It has always been – it’s not about me. I’m doing this to learn the things, to unlearn the things, for the next ones that are coming up. Because when I say it’s so much gatekeeping in motorsports – nobody wants to tell you anything. You really have to trial and error this thing.”

She is glad she is the one doing the trial and error. Not because it is easy, but because it means the children behind her will not have to.

“That little boy and little girl that’s coming up after me – they’re not gonna have to do that. It’s gonna be so smooth for them, and they can really focus on their dream at hand.”

Her What’s Your Destiny Foundation exists to operationalize that belief. The goal: sponsor five kids a year in junior dragster and bandolero racing, and address their mental health, physical health, and full development – not just the speed.

She visits inner-city schools and YMCA programs. She knows what it means when a child sees someone who looks like them doing something they never imagined was possible.

“To see the kids light up, to see that when they see me, they know that they can do something more than what they’ve been exposed to thus far – that’s always been my goal,” she said. “That’s why I have my foundation.”

What’s Next

Spurlock heads to Kansas City next for a race at Kansas Speedway. Phoenix and Texas are in talks for later in the season. She confirmed she will compete in at least two NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle races, with Indianapolis expected to be the first.

The roadmap after that has not changed: more ARCA starts in 2026, a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series debut before year’s end, a full campaign in that series in 2027, and then the Cup Series. She said it plainly and without bravado. It is just the plan.

Forever the optimist, HBCU Legends told Dystany she will one day be in victory lane. She smiled.

“First place is wild,” she said. “But anything’s possible, so I got you.”

Spurlock closed by thanking her team – Foxxtecca, MBM Motorsports, coach Horton, trainer Bri, and her family.

Drogo barked again. The interview was over.

Dystany Spurlock had another track to get ready for.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dystany Spurlock

What series is Dystany Spurlock competing in?

Spurlock is competing in the ARCA Menards Series East, a NASCAR developmental series. She made her debut on March 28, 2026, at Hickory Motor Speedway, finishing seventh in the Cook Out 200.

What is Dystany Spurlock’s historic milestone?

Spurlock became the first Black woman in history to compete in a NASCAR-affiliated series when she raced in the ARCA Menards Series East on March 28, 2026.

What team does Dystany Spurlock race for?

She drives the No. 66 Ford Mustang for MBM Motorsports and Garage 66, owned by former NASCAR driver Carl Long and based in Statesville, N.C.

What is Dystany Spurlock’s background before NASCAR?

Spurlock is a decorated motorcycle drag racer with multiple world records and firsts in the XDA series and the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle category. She also raced in Formula 4 and arena kart racing before transitioning to stock cars.

What is the What’s Your Destiny Foundation?

The What’s Your Destiny Foundation is Spurlock’s nonprofit that aims to expose children to motorsports. Her goal is to sponsor five kids per year in junior dragster and bandolero racing while also addressing their mental and physical health.

Where can I follow Dystany Spurlock?

Spurlock can be found on all social platforms as @DystanySpurlock, except on Facebook, where she is Dystany Spurlock Racing. Her docuseries, Driven by Dystany: The Road to NASCAR, is available on Foxxtecca’s YouTube channel.