Dystany Spurlock delivered a standout performance at Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday night, finishing seventh and making history as the first Black woman to compete in the ARCA Menards Series East.
Driving the No. 66 Foxxtecca Chevrolet for MBM Motorsports and Garage 66, Spurlock started eighth and completed all 200 laps in the Cook Out 200, securing the top-10 finish in her highly anticipated debut. The milestone marks a major step in her racing career and a breakthrough for NASCAR’s developmental pipeline.
Race Recap
Competing on Hickory’s legendary ⅓-mile oval, Spurlock focused on gaining valuable experience and adapting to the demands of high-level stock car competition.
In the early going, she settled into a steady rhythm, holding the No. 8 position through multiple restarts. Although she briefly went a lap down, she rallied to return to the lead lap by the race’s halfway point.
After the midway break, Spurlock engaged 2025 ARCA Menards Series East champion Isaac Kitzmiller in a back-and-forth battle for seventh. She stayed out of trouble and kept the car clean through scattered cautions, remaining on the lead lap and locking down the eighth spot through three-quarters of the race on the strength of focused, consistent driving.
With about 20 laps to go, Spurlock again pushed forward to advance a spot, then capitalized 10 laps later by deftly avoiding a spin among the leaders.
In the closing laps, she showed poise and composure, creating a wall behind her to secure the seventh-place finish and etch her name into the motorsports history books.
“I had a great time out there,” she told pit reporter Jacklyn Drake moments after the race. “First and foremost, thank you God, thank you to my ancestors, thanks to my family, my friends, and most of all my sponsors, Foxxtecca, and Carl at MBM. When I said they gave me a rocket tonight, they gave me a rocket tonight. Of course I’m still learning, but I said the car feels good, so we’re going for it.”
Spurlock’s debut represents more than a personal achievement—it shows continued progress within motorsports as drivers from diverse backgrounds work to break into NASCAR’s top ranks.
Building Momentum
Her performance in Hickory builds momentum toward additional ARCA starts in 2026, with long-term goals of advancing to the national ARCA Menards Series and, ultimately, the NASCAR Cup Series.
On Saturday, a strong turnout of fans filled “Ryders Row” in the grandstands, as Spurlock’s supporters—known as The Ryders—showed up in force to cheer her on and witness the historic moment. Their energy reflected the growing audience rallying behind her unique journey, which is being captured in the Foxxtecca-produced docuseries Driven by Dystany: The Road to NASCAR.
Spurlock’s next race is the Rockingham ARCA Menards East 125 at Rockingham Speedway on April 4, as she continues to target a national series debut in Kansas on April 18.
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