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Dystany Spurlock is 1st Black woman to race in one of NASCAR’s national series, crashes in debut

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Dystany Spurlock became the first Black woman to compete in one of NASCAR’s three national series, crashing on lap 39 in her debut in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Dover Motor Speedway on Friday.

Spurlock, 34, drove the No. 69 MBM Motorsports Ford at the track in Delaware. Her truck became loose while coming around a turn and she tried to save it before crashing into the outside wall, which ended her race.

She finished 36th.

Spurlock made her stock car racing debut in March, finishing seventh in the ARCA Menards Series East — one of NASCAR’s developmental series — while driving the No. 66 MBM Ford at Hickory Motor Speedway in North Carolina.

“It feels so amazing,” Spurlock said in a recent “Good Morning America” interview. “Being a first is never what I strived to be. I just so happened to be that. But being able to be that example for other little girls and little boys that look like me is amazing. I didn’t have that representation when I grew up, and this road has not been easy.”

In 2025, she made her pro stock motorcycle debut, becoming the second Black woman in history to compete in the Virginia NHRA Nationals.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

Late pass sends Felix Rosenqvist past David Malukas for the closest Indianapolis 500 win in history

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Felix Rosenqvist thought his car was good enough to win the previous four Indianapolis 500s. On Sunday, the 34-year-old Swede finally got to celebrate with a sip of milk. The difference: He was more focused on being a dad and felt less pressure to reach victory lane. Rosenqvist responded by making a daring, outside move in the closing yards, sling-shotting past leader David Malukas and across the yard of bricks by half a car-length in the closest race in 500 history and cap the most memorable month of his life. The 0.023-second victory was his second in 120 career IndyCar starts, his first on an oval and came exactly 20 days after he welcomed his first child, daughter Stella.
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