It wasn’t the outcome Dystany Spurlock and her team wanted, but today’s ambitious doubleheader effort at Watkins Glen International still provided valuable experience and another important step forward in her racing career. Spurlock competed in the ARCA Menards Series General Tire 100 while also attempting to qualify for the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series Bully Hill Vineyards 176 at The Glen later in the day.
Making her first-ever appearance at Watkins Glen, Spurlock entered the weekend without any prior laps on the technical 2.45-mile road course and no opportunity to practice on a dry track before competition began. While new to Watkins Glen, Spurlock did bring previous road racing experience from competing in Skip Barber’s Formula 4 Series in 2023.
Driving the No. 66 Foxxtecca Ford for MBM Motorsports and Garage 66 in the ARCA event, Spurlock started 20th and steadily worked her way up while learning the demanding circuit. Early in the race, she advanced into the 14th position as she settled into the car and grew more familiar with the track.
Unfortunately, contact from another competitor around lap 18 created a mechanical issue that ended her race early. The impact shifted the car and damaged an inner axle seal, allowing gear oil to contaminate the hub assembly. The incident also damaged the rear-right brake line, forcing the team to retire the car. Spurlock officially finished 29th.
Earlier in the day, Spurlock attempted to qualify for what would have been her NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series debut. However, challenging and shifting weather conditions created an uphill battle for teams throughout qualifying.
In light of a soggy track, officials modified the format—instead of running two separate groups in shorter intervals, they combined it into a single, 30-minute session for the entire field. The move created a frenzied rush for clean laps, limiting opportunities for drivers to adapt and improve. For a driver learning a new layout for the first time, the conditions made building speed especially difficult.
Despite the circumstances, Spurlock continued finding significant time during her final qualifying run and showed steady improvement throughout the session. But NASCAR’s owner points provisionals determined the final starting spots, leaving the No. 66 team on the outside looking in even though Spurlock qualified faster than other competitors. She wound up qualifying 36th overall in a field that included multiple Cup racers and road course specialists.
“We didn’t achieve the result we were hoping for, but that’s part of racing,” Spurlock said. “The journey continues, and I’ll keep learning, growing, and putting in the work, both on and off the track, that’s required to compete at the highest level and succeed in this sport.”
Spurlock’s progression through the ranks of motorsports is also being documented in Driven by Dystany: The Road to NASCAR, a docuseries produced by primary sponsor Foxxtecca, the Detroit-based events and media organization co-founded by Chris Harris and Kellie Crawford. The series has helped bring widespread attention to her story while continuing to grow her fanbase and support throughout the country.
“Today was a day of highs and lows, but no losses,” Crawford said. “There are things that are completely out of your control—that’s racing. We are extremely proud of Dystany. She has improved every lap and every race, and she will continue to do so. This is a marathon, not a sprint. She’s in it for the long haul, and so are we. Onward and upward.”
Next up for Spurlock is the ARCA Menards Series Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway on June 5. The event will mark her first appearance at the fast 2-mile D-shaped superspeedway known for its high speeds, 18-degree banking, and intense side-by-side racing.
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