Dystany Spurlock: What Changes When Women Stop Waiting For Permission To Race

Dystany Spurlock doesn’t talk like someone waiting to be picked. She talks like a driver who decided to learn the game, earn the seat, and bring other women with her.

We sit down with Dystany to trace a journey that starts with childhood power wheels and turns into real-world racing across motorcycle drag racing, NHRA ambitions, and an upcoming ARCA Menards Series debut under the NASCAR umbrella. She explains how reaction time, precision, and confidence built on two wheels can transfer into stock cars, while also admitting what gets harder fast: learning tracks, mastering racecraft in traffic, and staying sharp when the schedule gets heavy.

The conversation goes deeper than driving. Dystany lays out the business reality of motorsports sponsorship and why so many talented women in motorsports never get the opportunity they deserve. She shares what it means to “learn the business before you get in the business,” including building an EPK, creating a sponsorship packet, and refusing to gatekeep information that could help the next generation.

We also talk about representation and motorsports diversity, plus the vision behind her What’s Your Dystany Foundation, designed to expose kids to racing and to the careers around it, from pit crew to engineering and data. If you’re searching for real insight into the road from local racing to professional motorsports, this one is packed with practical lessons and honest motivation.

Subscribe to the Women’s Motorsports Network Podcast, share this with a racing fan, and leave a review so more people find these stories. What part of Dystiay’s path feels most relatable to you?

Transcript

Welcome To Women In Motorsports

Melinda Russell 0:02

Welcome to the Women's Motorsports Network Podcast, the show that puts the spotlight on the incredible women who fuel the world of motorsports. From drivers to crew members, engineers to fans, and everyone in between, we're here to celebrate the trail risers, dreamers, and doers shaping the sport we love. Each episode, we share inspiring stories of females of all ages from every corner of the motorsports universe, past, present, and future. It's a journey through the seasons of life filled with heartfelt moments, laughter, and a whole lot of horsepower. So whether you're a lifelong fan, a racer yourself, or simply curious about the extraordinary women behind the wheel, settle in, relax, and enjoy a fun and uplifting ride with us. This is the Women's Motorsports Network Podcast, connecting and celebrating women in motorsports one story at a time. Let's hit the track. Good morning, everyone. This is Melinda Russell with the Women's Motorsports Network Podcast. And I have a very special guest today. Destiny Spurlock is with me. And Destiny's gonna tell us all about herself and her story. But first, I want to welcome you to the show, Destiny. And would you share a little bit about yourself?

SPEAKER_00 1:23

Yeah. So as she said, my name is Destiny Spurlock, and I am just a big ball of energy. She wanted me to share a little bit about like my personal life. So I'm the middle child, it's six of us total. I have an amazing dog named Drago. So you might hear him in the background, maybe, but he's a Kane Corso. That's my baby. I'm an adventurous person, a very adrenaline junky girl. But the real story is what I do. I no longer have to work anymore. I'm actually racing full-time now. So yeah, that's where we're at.

Childhood Roots Of A Racer

Melinda Russell 2:00

That's awesome. I mean, you know, when you when you think about it, it is a lot of work what you do, but it doesn't seem like it because it's your passion. So, how did all of that get started? Go way back to the beginning and tell me from the very start, how did you get interested in motorsport?

SPEAKER_00 2:20

So I wouldn't say it was motorsports when I first started. It was more like battery-powered. My mom and dad, they got me a Barbie Jeep and a Barbie Corvette before I was one, so I could barely walk. So I started there. Then fast forward, I turned three and I started riding on the back of the motorcycle with my parents because my mom and dad, they both rode motorcycles, they didn't race. So then at five, I got me a go-kart. I begged my dad to give me a go-kart, and I woke up Christmas morning and it was there, which I still have to this day, by the way. And then I went to some tractor pools with my poppy, who is my grandfather, at six, I think it was. And I just loved that because I loved being outside barefoot and like it's dirt, it's loud vehicles. I love this. So then fast forward to I don't know what age I got introduced, probably around the same time, like six, seven-ish. He introduced me to NASCAR. So we grew up about two miles from the Richmond International Raceway. So we would watch the races on TV. My poppy would have the windows up so we can hear them because it was that close. So I used to love doing that on Sundays with my poppy. Then I turned 12. I went to the drag strip with my godfather, and I just fell in love with it. He's the one who dragged race motorcycles. So I came home, I'm like, Ma, I want to race a motorcycle. She's like, Okay, let's do it. Turn 16. She got me my first motorcycle, which was a Suzuki Jixer 750. I raced that for about two months. Then BMW came out with a new motorcycle called the S1000 Double R. And I got the chance to race that. I set the record on it, and then I became an ambassador for BMW. So then at this point, I'm like, I can really take this thing to the next level. I really want to race an NHRA. But outside of that, I always wanted to get into NASCAR. So after I became an ambassador for BMW, I did do some late model testing in a car. That deal fell through. So then this opportunity came up where I could race arena cars at the Richmond Coliseum, which are half-scale NASCARs. So that was so much fun. I continue to do that and race motorcycles at the same time. But I'm also still striving to get to NHRA, still striving to find a way into NASCAR. So let's see what happened next. So then I got another deal. This is right before COVID to race a NASCAR again, start the journey. Well, COVID came, killed that. I'm like, you know what? Forget it. We're just gonna say we're gonna focus on NHRA, and that's where we're gonna go. So for those of you who don't know what NHRA is, it is the like the NASCAR of drag racing. So it's the the top most professional level of drag racing you can do in the States. So still racing my normal bike at our local series and all the good things. So then I met my sponsor now, which is Foxteca. So I met Chris, he's one of the owners. I met him five years ago, and he always told me, Destiny, you are a unicorn. If there's some type of way that we can get behind you to back you to make your dreams come true, we're gonna do it. So then he met his partner Kelly. So they created Fox Techa. Long story short, last year in June, I think it was June, July, somewhere up in there, they helped me debut to get into NHRA. So that was amazing. Dream come true, loved it, did absolutely amazing. Now this year, it's what March tomorrow. So yeah, so in a few weeks, we'll be debuting in NASCAR in the Arkham Minard series.

Melinda Russell 6:05

Wow, that you told that pretty quickly, but what a journey! Yeah, and and you never let go of your dream. I love that part of your story.

SPEAKER_00 6:16

Yes, thank you. I have a huge support system. My family, they've always been beside me, regardless of what I wanted to do. My mom has always told me, go after your dreams, don't you know shy away from them. So when she told me that at four years old, that's exactly what I did. Like, I wanted to play football in middle school and high school. My family supported me. They're at the games, they're like, go do it. So yeah.

Melinda Russell 6:40

Oh, that's that's so so fun. And so when is your gonna be your first race in ARCA?

SPEAKER_00 6:47

Yes, first race in ARCA would be at Hickory in Hickory, North Carolina on March 28th.

Melinda Russell 6:53

March 28th, okay. And how many races are you hoping to do in ARCA?

SPEAKER_00 7:00

I think we're still gonna schedule together, so it's right under 20 or right at 20, somewhere up in there. Okay, all right, yeah, and then a half season for NHRA this year.

Bike Skills In Stock Cars

Melinda Russell 7:13

Oh my gosh. So, okay. I don't often talk to somebody who races motorcycles NHRA and NASCAR, ARCA's NASCAR because they own it. Yes, so tell me what is the biggest difference? Like when you go from a motorcycle to a car, what's the hardest thing to transition?

SPEAKER_00 7:36

I get asked that question often. I really still have not found an answer yet because they each of them help the other. So, you know, drag racing, you have to be on your reaction times, you have to be quick, you have to be precise with your movements, and so that helps me, I feel like, in the car because speed is definitely a factor, but it's not anything that I'm not used to, so I'm good there, and then the reaction from the motorcycle helps me with the quick movement, so you never know what's gonna happen in front of you, and then you have to, you know, hit your lines correctly and get into the throttle and the brake where you need to. So I just think they both help each other for me.

Melinda Russell 8:18

That's good because I know people that have you know, like race a couple different kinds of cars, like they might race a street stock and then a late model or whatever it is, and you would think, oh, it's not that big a deal to jump from one to the other, but every car is different, and so it is harder. But I can I can see where the motorcycle takes one set of skills, really, and the car takes another, but they overlap. Yep, exactly.

SPEAKER_00 8:46

I mean, of course, it's it's more difficult in the car because you have tracks that you have to learn. Drag strip is just straight, so you really have to focus on the racecraft of everything in the car.

Melinda Russell 8:56

So, yeah, yeah. What's your favorite thing about being involved in motorsports?

Representation And The Sponsorship Game

SPEAKER_00 9:01

That I get to be an inspiration for others. I love that. Like I tell everyone, I love to race, it's great, it's fun, it's what I was created to do. But to be able to show someone that they can do it too, that is the biggest thing because I do a lot of work in inner city schools, and there's so many kids that don't even know that motorcycle drag racing exists. They, I mean, they know of NASCAR, but they don't know that they can do it as well, whether they're a racer or they're on the pit crew or they're in the engineering department. There's so many things that I will be able to expose them to to know that if this something you want to do, you can actually do it.

Melinda Russell 9:41

You know, Destiny, there's a saying that if you see her, you can be her. Yeah, and that's that's that's who you are because a lot of little girls might look at NASCAR or ARCA or any kind of motorcycle. There's a lot of women in motorcycle racing, but they don't see someone that looks like you, do they?

SPEAKER_00 10:03

They don't, they really don't. It's it's far and few, it's not a lot of us at all. Like, for example, in NHRA, you have myself and Peggy. We are like the only brown faces that are out there, and I I don't like that we're so rare, but hopefully, you know, the work that we have done and we continue to do will get more women of color out there because like we need it, we need everybody.

Melinda Russell 10:31

Well, and that's true, and and you know, I'm not I'm not picking on you about that either. I think it's wonderful. And you look around and why not? Why aren't there more women that look like you?

SPEAKER_00 10:46

I think it's just because so, for example, for me, when I grew up, the only way I've thought that you can get into a high level in motorsports, whether it's NASCAR or NHRA, was if you had money or if you were born into it. So I'm like, how am I gonna do this? Because we don't have the money. Well, we have money, but not that amount. And then I wasn't born in it, so then you know, I I someone told me early on, they said learn the business before you get in the business. So then I started doing my research, and then I realized, okay, I can do this, but I have to obtain sponsorship. So, how do I get sponsorships? Okay, I have to get an EPK together, I have to get a sponsorship packet together, you know. So that is another reason why I'm so glad I'm here because I have never been a gatekeeper. I want to show people the way it what you need to do, what it takes, what it looks like. So I feel like I'm gonna be able to do that. I'm gonna be able to get a lot more women in the space.

Melinda Russell 11:42

Yeah, absolutely. And excuse me, not just and not just as a driver, you know. Destiny, I interview women who do all kinds of things as far as jobs and in racing. And I just think that we don't expose little girls, younger, if they're not like you said, if if you're not involved, your family's not involved in racing, it's much harder to expose those girls, boys too, but you know, mostly little girls because they're dancing or playing softball or doing all those things, which my kids all did, you know, my girls did all that, but I would have never thought that they would have wanted to drive a race car. That was what my son wanted to do. Yep. And so, yeah, and then you know, the more I got involved when he was racing and that, the more I saw the women that were there and started Women's Mother Sports Network 2017. I was shocked, destiny really, especially in the junior dragsters, how many little girls there are. There's just tons of little girls, and they're starting to advance now to the higher levels.

Foundation Vision And Daily Discipline

SPEAKER_00 13:01

Yes, and I love that you brought that up. So I also have a foundation called What's Your Destiny Foundation, and it's to help expose children to the world of motorsports. So, my goal is once I you know get everything together, I want to have a few NA NHR, a few Junior Dragsters and a few bandoleros, and a few legend cars. So that way it starts them at the beginning, but I don't just want to teach them racing, I want to teach them the stuff on the track and off the track, you know, how to look at a graph to read your data from when you're on the track, how do you take care of yourself, your your mental health, you know, working out? What are we eating, you know, that type of stuff. So I'm really that's one of my most prize possessions, like to get started, because like you just said, they don't know what they don't know. So I I want to be the example to show them.

Melinda Russell 13:57

I I love that. And it is do you spell it like your name, destiny like your name? Yeah, I figured you did. Um that's that's pretty exciting, and while the young women that that will touch, yes, uh, once that gets going, because I think that'll spread like wildfire. Absolutely. You know, it's it's about educating young women and little girls, and you know, like if like for instance, my I'll go back to my girls, they're 40 and 38. So a long time ago when they were little, we never went there, we never went to the drag strip to watch. I didn't even really know that much about it. We did go to the the dirt circle track because my son was interested in racing, and so the more we can show women doing and outperforming oftentimes the men, the better for these little girls, the better, yes. I love it because we can do it, yeah, for sure, for sure we can do it. So, destiny, you're high energy. We we've established that. How do you keep yourself in balance? So, work, health, eating, you still go buy groceries, you still have to do the laundry, you still have to do all those things. How do you keep all of that in balance?

SPEAKER_00 15:31

So, when I'm not traveling, it's a lot easier. The traveling part gets difficult, but on a normal week, when I'm home, I wake up, brush my teeth, wash my face like everybody else, and then I go straight to the gym, to our workout facility here in North Carolina. So I do that. Then once I come home, I have a whole routine I do. Like I go meditate. Of course, I walk my pup because that's my baby, and I really I don't watch a lot of TV or anything like that. I do a lot of reading or researching on the computer, studying the tracks that I have to go to next. I'm just a very mellow person when I'm at home because that's the only quiet time I get.

Melinda Russell 16:14

That's kind of your down, that's kind of your downtime to recharge for when you go to the track or to the for racing for sure. So, Arca, we talked about your one sponsor. Do you have any other sponsors or people that are supporting you that you want to share?

SPEAKER_00 16:32

So for now, we only have Fox Tucker. Of course, we are looking for other partners and sponsors to come along because this is a journey that is it's very expensive to be to be frank. But no, we just have Fox Tucker right now, and yeah, yeah.

Hard Days, Wins, And Resilience

Melinda Russell 16:51

Well, it's gonna get their name out there, we know that, and it's definitely gonna get your name out there, and and that's really all it takes is you know, for people to see and and find out who you are. You know, I love that you were talking about your foundation wants to give girls the knowledge of the whole picture. It's one thing if you can race down, you know, race what 200 and some miles an hour down the drag strip, or or go, you know, go into ARCA with there's a few women in ARCA on and off. Go into ARCA and and show them that you know there's a lot of women out there who are talented, they just need the opportunity. Yes, right? That's what it's all about. Yep, that's what it's all about, it's just getting that opportunity, and so that's part of what I do is try to give women a platform to get their name out there and to share what they're doing and who they are because there's just not that many places for you to do it. That's so true. It's getting better for sure. It's getting better, yeah. So in all the racing that you've done, do you have a moment that just sticks out to you or a couple moments that would be like something that you'll never forget?

SPEAKER_00 18:15

Oh goodness, it's quite a few of those. What is the one that sticks out the most? Yeah, well, I'll okay, I'll go to arena racing. So arena racing was really amazing. When I first started, of course, I had one of the slower cars, which sucked because I am a competitor by nature, so I understand they did it, you know, so I can get my feet wet and learn everything. Cool. But once I got that bigger carburetor for my car, and that car started flying, I'll never forget the day that I actually won my first race. It was truly like a dream come true, and then to be able to look back at how how I started versus where I was in that point, it was really beautiful because there were some challenging things that I had to overcome. I had some racers that deliberately tried to wreck me every time. But once I learned the track, learned the car, learned how to flow, I didn't give up. And I they try to push me, I pushed them right back, and I got myself into the winner's circle. And I had a few, a lot of top three finishes. So I think that that was really beautiful to see.

Melinda Russell 19:32

So, you know, probably a question that I don't ask up many other people is was there was there prejudice against you when you started racing? Was there, you know, some of that?

SPEAKER_00 19:44

So I'll yeah, I'll say like directly to me, no, but you can you can sense, you can see how people act. And when I first started, you know, I would hear that that's a thing, you know, and drag racing and stuff. I'm like, no, it's not. And when I saw, I was like, hmm, okay, all right. But for me, like I am such a happy-go-lucky person. Like, I don't allow others' energy or what they feel or what they think about me affect me because I can't control that. I can only control what I do. So I'm gonna continue to be me, continue to be that example, and go out there and race and beat them.

Melinda Russell 20:30

Right. If if you know it lets your racing do the talking, right?

SPEAKER_00 20:35

That's it. That's it.

Melinda Russell 20:39

So we all oh, excuse me, we all have bad days, and when we race, there's always a day that just you wish you could forget. When you have one of those days, whether it be you know, drag racing or arc or whatever it might be, how do you handle that? What was you know, was there ever a time you just said, I'm done, I can't do this?

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Oh, it was a lot of times. Yeah, absolutely. Especially when I was first starting, because I was super young, you know, so I'm still learning about myself. So when I first started, there were days when I would lose, I would just cry. Honestly, I would just cry and be upset. And then my mom had a talk with me one day. She's like, Destiny, it's okay. Like, you're gonna win some and you're gonna lose some. But as they say, you'll live to fight another day. But once she when my mom told me that, because my mom's my best friend, I listened to her and I'm like, you know what, you're right. So as I continued on in this journey, when I lost, it became more detrimental to me. It was just like, okay, next, let's let's go out and try again, or let's come out next week, or however that looks. It hurts, but at the same time, you you're gonna learn something from it and you're gonna do better the next time. So yeah, nowadays it's just like okay, let's go.

Melinda Russell 22:01

And unfortunately, we lose more than we win in NASCAR. I don't care if you're the best there is. Yeah. You know, last year Connor Zilich won 10 races. So that means he lost double the amount that he won. And he was exceptional. And so it's it's kind of like, okay, you know, I'm going into a sport that's really going to challenge me and and put my myself to the test of what can I endure and still stick with it. And those are the people that get sponsored. The ones the ones that don't give up, they keep moving forward and they keep getting better, regardless of what's going on around them for sure. Absolutely. So when you know, when you look at at the sport of motorsports, do you think that's a good sport for women to be involved in? And I know you do, but I'm asking the question. And then why? Why motorsports for women?

SPEAKER_00 23:06

I feel like so. One, they say women's reaction times are faster than men. Okay. So you have an advantage already. But for me, I just feel like it's so different because we're so used to the cheerleading, the golf, the you know, sticking ball sports and things. But with motorsports, it's not just about being a racer, it's so many other departments that are in it. So, like for example, a few years ago, I went to where was I at? I can't remember where I was. Anyway, I was at some track race and I saw a woman, and she was, yeah, okay, so it was the NHRA race. This is before I raced there. And she, I think she did something with the engines on the top fuel cars. And I'm just sitting there in awe. Like, oh my gosh, you're really doing that. And we actually became good friends. So I feel like there's not a lot of women in the sport. So I feel like they should come in and to show and prove that we can do this too. Okay.

Melinda Russell 24:08

So there's more and more women, you know, obviously getting into the sport, and not just as drivers, but you know, engineers. My friend Liz works on, she's a tire specialist for NASCAR, and she works with Tyler Reddick. So she's gotten two wins in a row, and I'm so happy for her. She deserves it. She's been working hard for a long time, you know. And and so, you know, you look at those women and they just get right in there with the guys. I can remember watching her. We were in Chicago a few years ago, back when you could have NASCAR there, and you know, it was like almost a hundred degrees, and the humidity, and they're there from like seven in the morning till seven or ten, they're a little later at night. Yeah, and it's it's hard work, yeah. And and yet that's her passion. That's it, and so does it feel like work? Yeah, some days it does, but would you want to do anything else? No, Destiny, you want to do anything else?

SPEAKER_00 25:18

No, I would not want to do anything else. I have been working so long to get to this point. For example, I used to be a Delta flight attendant. I worked in hospitality for a while. I had my CDL, I drove tractor trailers for a long time. So my my sponsors, Fox Teca, they made January 15th, I think it was. Yeah, January 15th, 2026, my last day of true work, punching the clock. So I say all that to say no, I would not want to do anything else but be a full-time professional racer.

Melinda Russell 25:51

Yeah, yeah, and you're so excited. I can hear it in your voice and see it in your in your smile. I'm excited for you too, for sure. So if some if someone came up to you and said, My little girl, you know, follows you, she wants to be just like you. What would you say to them?

SPEAKER_00 26:11

I would tell them if they want to be an actual racer, go to your local tracks, find out their test and tune days. You know, now we have marketplace. So it's not hard to find a car or junior dragster or any of that anymore. You know, find a local mechanic that you trust, have them look over whatever the car or vehicle or motorcycle that you're looking at, make sure it's good, and just practice. Go at your own pace. You're gonna have so many people that's gonna tell you do this, do that, do this, do that. Find what works for you. Don't let anybody push you out your comfort zone until you're ready and lock in and stay focused. So that's what I would tell them.

Melinda Russell 26:53

That's good advice for anybody that's in racing, and it's a good advice for life. Don't try to be over here, this person or that person, be who you are, be authentic. Yes, that is my biggest and be authentically you exactly. So, do you have a track that you're really looking forward to going to and racing on?

SPEAKER_00 27:19

Of course, Daytona. Daytona is the Mecca, so yes, I really want to go Daytona, of course, Talladega, because they just have so much fun in the infield during the race and Phoenix. Yeah, I'm looking forward to going to Phoenix.

Melinda Russell 27:36

I love Phoenix, so my youngest two daughters live in the Phoenix area, so I've been to the Phoenix track more than I've been to any other racetrack, and I absolutely love Phoenix. Uh, you know, they were getting a lot of they were getting a lot of pushback to have the championship for NASCAR there, and I get it, you know, you need a change and whatever, but honestly, the weather, the track, the accommodations, the parking, you name it. Phoenix knows how to do it. And they that's right, that was that was my favorite. Insta Liz my favorite track. So I think they're there next weekend. I'm not gonna be able to be there. I I can't fly yet. I had some surgery on my back, and so I can't fly yet, so I can't go, but maybe maybe I'll hit one of the other tracks later. But yeah, I love I love Phoenix. You're gonna you're gonna love racing there for sure.

SPEAKER_00 28:30

Yeah, I'm excited.

Melinda Russell 28:31

That's good to hear. You're you're gonna love it. So, who you know, you've got to have a crew, you can't be doing this all by yourself. Do you have a set of people that help you with both drag racing and gonna help with the ARCA, or is it different people? Tell me about your support system.

SPEAKER_00 28:51

Yes, have to have a team because this girl cannot do it all by herself, even though she did on the motorcycle staff for a little bit. But this year we have Carlong with MBM, so he is my crew chief, his entire shop, Garage 66, they're gonna get everything together for me. And then on the NHRE side, I can't speak on that yet because we're still okay, you know, that's underground. Yes, okay, all right.

Where To Follow Destiny

Melinda Russell 29:23

Okay, that's all right. There's still, you know, it's it's this time of year, there's a lot of that going on, little little secrets here and there that we can't tell yet. So that's okay. So, Stephanie, how can people follow you, follow your journey? Because you know, I've known of you for a while. So, how Facebook, Instagram, how do you let people know where you're gonna be, what you're gonna do, so we can follow you?

SPEAKER_00 29:51

So, first, I have a docuseries that is out called Driven by Destiny Road to NASCAR, and that is presented by Fox Techa Media. So they, which is also my sponsor, so they have been following me through this whole journey on this road to NASCAR. So the second episode comes out on March 2nd. No, March 1st, but you tomorrow, yeah, tomorrow. But outside of that, you can find me at Destiny Spurlock on all platforms. So, but the docuseries is gonna be on Fox Tech's YouTube channel.

Melinda Russell 30:28

Okay, okay, I'm gonna watch that. I'm writing that down. Nice.

SPEAKER_00 30:35

Well, the trailer for it is out now, so you can see what it's gonna be about.

Melinda Russell 30:40

That's awesome though. So tomorrow's the first episode. No, second. Second, so the first episode's already out, yes, okay. Awesome. Well, that's exciting, you know. I love seeing there's a lot more of these docuseries coming out that are showcasing women and their journey, and so that's a great way for you to get your name out and get for people to see like what you've been doing for sure.

SPEAKER_00 31:08

Absolutely, yeah.

Melinda Russell 31:09

So that's excited.

SPEAKER_00 31:11

No, go ahead. No, I was just saying, I'm really excited for everybody to come into my world to see it because so many people feel like I've been giving all these opportunities, or it has not been hard. So this really shows my vulnerability, and you can see what it's what the journey has really looked like.

Melinda Russell 31:30

Yeah, people people don't understand when they're outside looking in, you know, when you go home at night, what you've gone through that day. Yes, exactly. So well it's it's good to show them, you know. I I often say people that love racing, they show up at the racetrack, you know, 30 minutes before the race, they watch the race, they're all excited, and they go home. They're not there at noon for a 7 p.m. race. They're not they're not in the trenches, and and I wish that, you know, it's it's an impossible thing to happen. But every person needs to be part of a pit crew for a day and go to the track and do the things that the drivers and their team do, it would give them a new appreciation for motorsports.

SPEAKER_00 32:23

Absolutely, they would definitely respect it so much more because everybody thinks, oh, you're just turning left or you're just going straight. You have no idea what that's like.

Melinda Russell 32:32

No, no, and not not at all, you know. And I uh I did the Richard Petty driving experience. My son, my son and I did. Now, my son actually drove because he was a race car driver, and then I rode with somebody, and you know, and it was funny because I I was sitting in the passenger seat, and you know, you're going pretty close to the wall. I mean, they they don't drive crazy, but faster than I would drive if I was on the track, and we were pretty close to the wall, and I was sitting with my arm kind of up on the thing of the race car, just you know, like I was on a Sunday drive. And the guy the guy says to me, Wow, you're not, you're pretty relaxed, you know. Going, I think I think we went, I shouldn't say, but I want to say 180. Yeah, and I said, Oh, this is I love this. And he said, I have people that get in this car and we do that and they say, Take me back. And and so I have my little plaque somewhere that says, you know, I did that, but I loved it, yes, yes, but we were the only car on the track, yeah. Now imagine a bunch of other ones around you. Now imagine that there's 30, 30, however many cars, let's just say 40 cars on the track, and they're all doing that, yeah. And some of them don't drive very well, yeah, exactly. Or some of them are slow compared to to me or whoever, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:16

It's a challenge, isn't it? It's very it's a huge challenge, but I love that you got to experience that because a lot of people, you know, they don't get that experience, so that was awesome, and then for you to just be up there hanging out, like you're my type of woman. That's awesome, yeah.

Melinda Russell 34:32

And and at the time I didn't even realize we were really going that fast. Yeah, I mean, it felt fast, but it didn't feel 180 fast or whatever it was, it was pretty fast. That that makes sense, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 34:46

That makes me want to ask, do you drive the speed limit? Because if that felt, you know, kind of slow.

Melinda Russell 34:53

Well, most now, if I'm on the interstate and I'm getting passed by everybody and their dog, then I I follow, I go the flow of the traffic, Destiny. Me too. Hi, yes, flow of the traffic. So if the traffic's going 40, I'm going 45. If the traffic's going 80, I'm going 80. That's it, exactly. Yeah, and no, I'm not, I don't drive like 90 or that fast. Yeah, I would say 80, 82 is probably the fastest I would go on the highway. Yeah, because that's how the flow of the traffic if it was open to that speed, but yeah, no, typically I, you know, I may be just a hair over, but not crazy. Okay, good, good job. Yeah, how do you drive on the street?

SPEAKER_00 35:50

Well, I drive the speed limit, and like you said, if we're on the highway and everybody's just flowing in traffic, I'm gonna flow in traffic with them.

Melinda Russell 36:01

Yeah, okay, all right. That's I think that's fair. I think that's what everybody does, really.

SPEAKER_00 36:06

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Melinda Russell 36:07

I think so. So is there anything? I I just feel like we could talk for a long time. Is there anything that we haven't talked about that I've just blatantly overlooked about your story or anything at all?

SPEAKER_00 36:22

No, I think you asked everything, and yeah, I think it was great.

Melinda Russell 36:28

Okay, all right. Well, I want to be sure that we don't leave something out. So March 28th, and where's that race at? The ARCA race at Hickory in the Oh yes, at Hickory. Yeah, okay. Well, and is your schedule posted on the on your Facebook or anywhere? Or do we just look up the ARCA schedule?

SPEAKER_00 36:50

Yeah, it's not posted as of yet within the next few weeks, definitely before the first ARCA race. My entire schedule for both will be on my website, which is destinyspurlock.com.

Melinda Russell 37:01

Destiny Spurlock.com. Okay. So Destiny Spurlock is a brand. Yes, definitely.

SPEAKER_00 37:09

Is that what's on your hat? Yep, that's my logo.

Melinda Russell 37:12

Yeah, I figured as much. That's a cool logo. So, you know, let's let's everybody that's listening, let's get out there and follow, like her page, follow her page, encourage her. We need more women like you, Destiny. Not and I don't mean that as far as as your color or any of that. We need women like you who are enthusiastic and and want to help other women get involved. That's what I mean when I say we need more women like you in motorsports.

SPEAKER_00 37:47

Yes, I have to agree on that because, like I said earlier, there's so many when I was coming up, nobody wants to help, nobody wanted to tell the quote unquote secrets, but that's that's not how we get more women into this space. We're supposed to stick together, especially with women's month coming up in March. So I'm gonna make sure, just for you, well, not just for you, but because you spoke of it, and that's truly where my heart is. I'm gonna make sure I help as many women as possible for in in March, for sure. Yeah, for sure.

Melinda Russell 38:16

Well, Destiny, I hope you have a great day. I know you're headed to the track here in a little bit, and so I want you to have a great, a great day and fun at the track, and we will definitely be following you. If you tag women's motorsports network when you post, it's easier for me to follow you. And and anytime you reach out and let me know what's happening with you, and and I'll share it and and I'll promote you and help you. How's that go?

SPEAKER_00 38:44

That's perfect, and I will do the same for you. I thank you so much for having me on the show today. This literally was the highlight of my day. So thank you.

Closing Thanks And Subscribe

Melinda Russell 38:54

Well, I appreciate that. So we're gonna end the recording, but I want you to hold on for a second. Okay. That's it for this episode of the Women's Motorsports Network podcast. We hope you've been inspired by the stories I shared today and feel more connected to the amazing community of women in motorsport. Remember, whether you're behind the wheel, in the pits, or cheering from the stands, your story matters. And together we're driving change and celebrating every milestone. If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who loves motorsports as much as you do. And don't forget to follow us on Facebook and Instagram for updates, behind the scenes content, and more incredible stories. So until next time, stay inspired, stay connected, and keep racing through life. This is the Women's Motorsports Network podcast where every woman's story is worth celebrating.