Nicole Lyons: the first black woman in NHRA’s Top Sportsman Division

10:10 AMNicole Lyons is the first African-American female driver to race in the National Hot Rod Association’s Top Sportsman Division.

Her story: Lyons, who followed in her father’s footsteps as a race car driver and engine builder, started in the NHRA Super Street class in 2005, then moved on to Super Gas and Super Comp the next season. She the first black woman to compete in the NHRA Top Sportsman and American Drag Racing League Top Sportsman classes. She also made her mark in Outlaw Pro Mod, winning several events. In 2013, she started racing in the NASCAR Whelen Series, a points championship for short track racing. Not only is she the first black woman to finish a Whelen race, she is the first woman to compete in NASCAR and NHRA in the same season. Lyons is the owner of Cole Muscle Cars, a restoration shop. She was featured as an engine specialist in the former reality TV series Car Warriors.

Fast fact: Lyons’ late father, Jack Davis, was a street racer in the Los Angeles area.

Quotable: “I think my father would be proud,” Lyons told Dragzine. “He taught me what I know today about racing. He taught me that you can’t be just the driver that gets in the car and drives. You need to know what the car is doing. You need to know the engine setup. My advantage is that by knowing my car, I can make good decisions out there on the track, where it counts.”

The Undefeated will profile an athlete each day during Black History Month.