By Rych McCain
At first glance, she is easy to dismiss as just another "Suppa Fine Sista," (as we say in the 'hood), with nothing mentally to offer. But in the case of NHRA Drag Race Car driver Nicole Lyons, looks are especially, "more," than deceiving!
Many racing competitors have misjudged Lyon's foxy, high fashion model looks prior to race time and received the shock of their lives when she handed them their "smoked behinds" on a platter at the finish line. One competing race driver actually quit the sport following a solid "A" kicking form Lyons.
Nicole Lyons is the first Black Afrikan female NHaRA (National Hot Rod Association) racecar driver. She also competes in the PSCA Racing Series, the So Cal Super Street, and the Pontiac Drag Days Series. Her goal is to compete in the BUSCH Series at NASCAR.
This lady is a serious contender who grew up in the racing game. Her dad was the late street racer Jack Davis. He strapped his then two-year-old daughter Nicole into a baby seat in one of his muscle cars and took her down the track at 160 mph. The baby screamed with joy and said, "Daddy, let's go again!" By the time baby Nicole was seven, she actually started driving muscle cars. Her dad took her to the track daily and taught her the mechanics of racing.
Upon his unfortunate death earlier this year, he left her a $1.5 million collection of 13 rare muscle cars. On her offtrack time, this female master mechanic actually builds car engines from scratch. Lyons built her last engine, a 565 Dart Big M with 1,100 horsepower.
Chevy Rumble Magazine glorified this engine because it is currently the highest horsepower single carb engine they have seen. Lyons also restores and enhances engines in her three, Cole Muscle Car Shops (all located in the San Fernando Valley) that she owns with her husband, former Canadian pro-football player Damion Lyons.
Having started driving muscle racecars at an age that most children barely start to learn how to ride bicycles must have made Lyons an unusual child.She smiles and said, "I was an only child and Daddy's little girl. I would do anything to help him out with the cars. Typically, it would be just bringing him some lemonade while I watched him. That's the ropes and you learn the ropes." Lyons continued, "As a child, my friends had positions that were going to be on my race team. My best friend was going to be my crew chief."
Of course the girls grew up and went their chosen ways.
Lyons says that getting her driver's license at age 16 was basically a joke. She laughs about the guy who gave her the driver's test." He saw how I handled the car and said he didn't need to see anymore," she said. What about the guys? How did they handle a foxy teenager with pro racing chops? Lyons lights up:" It's funny. Most of the guys would be in awe of me. They would say that they could never find a girl that was into car engines and racing like I was and they would ask me on a date. I would say, 'Yeah, I might be into that, but some of the other things I might not be into.' From a competitive level, they see what I can do and it's kind of like, well if we can't beat her, join her or take her out on a date," she said.
What kind of feedback does Lyons receive from the ladies" Actually, I receive a lot of positive feedback from women," she said. "I think that they never fathomed racing while growing up and never had the opportunities that I did with my dad to learn about it and be involved with it. You always have your haters out there and I use them for more fuel and keep on pushing."
Lyons main event is the straightaway quarter mile drag, booking at speeds of 160 mph plus. She races in three different brackets-the Super Comp in 8 seconds, the Super Gas in 9 seconds and the Super Street in 10 seconds. Lyons holds a black belt in karate as well. So jumping out of your racecar to get in her face is not too advisable either. Nicole Lyons is winning in the top percent of her races and without question is not only making black history before our very eyes but is also making racing history period!
Classic Muscle Cars
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