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We had our first test session with the new car
set up and engine and lets just say we are on our
way to great things for the rest of 2009 and of
course the entire 2010 season.
Bio
Snippets
News
Nicole Lyons,
changing the pace of Pro Stock
Racing
Nicole Lyons to Debut in
Lucas Oil Series at the 2008 NHRA Season
Opener
Nicole Lyons In The
DBDRS Pro Stock Chevy Cavalier - 3/15/06
Results
Schedule
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Contact: E-Mail
| nicolelyonsracing.com
Direct short cut to this
page: http://bit.ly/RFL9YR
Bio
Height: 5’6”
Started with NHRA - 2005
Un-single: Married to Damion Lyons
Hometown: San Fernando Valley
Career: Restoring and enhancing engines in her Cole
Muscle Car shop that she owns and operates with her
husband
Other Interests: Published poet, black belt
wielding kick boxer.
Snippets
We had our first test session with the new car set
up and engine and lets just say we are on our way
to great things for the rest of 2009 and of course
the entire 2010 season.
News
Nicole Lyons, changing the
pace of Pro Stock Racing
Everything I know about racing I learned in one
afternoon with Nicole Lyons, and I was surprised at
how much that ended up to be. The technical areas
aside, I think the most important aspect a driver
must have is what I came away with understanding.
You must have passion for your dreams so strong
that nothing will come between you and what you
were meant to do in this life. Some people have
that intense motivation, Nicole Lyons does. In
March when she raced her first pro 1/4 mile she
proved it, and this is only the beginning.
Speaking of which, the beginning is a great
place to start:
Nicole Lyons was still in a car seat the first
time she went down the track. It was with her
father, Jack Davis, who was a famous street racer.
When the car came to a stop, 2 year old Nicole was
cheering to go again. Within 5 years she was
learning to drive herself to school. Most young
kids beg to just stay up late on school nights, but
not Nicole, 'I remember I used to cry and cry when
I couldn't go to the races with my dad'.
Nicole's father brought to life her passion for
street racing. He taught her the technical
knowledge and has given her a lifetime of
inspiration necessary to become what she is today.
Nicole said of her race training, 'My school was
basically my father'. There is no question that
these early experiences and training are paying
off. She is now one of the first African American
women to make it this far in the National Hot Rod
Association, (NHRA). These ground breaking efforts
are not without its challenges and Nicole faces
those head on. 'Some who haven't seen me on the
track at events don't believe that I really go out
there. On the track it's not a gimmick, it's not a
game.'
But after anyone sees her on the track they
offer respect. As Nicole sees it, 'When someone
proves themselves what can you really say to that?'
'It's like the saying, if you can't beat 'em joins
'em' and then give them the props they deserve'
Nicole has a great relationship with the cars
she races, she builds them. The technical in's and
outs of what makes these incredibly powerful
machines go is one of Nicole's specialties. Nicole
also uses her vast technical knowledge to operate
Cole Muscle Cars, a custom shop located in Nicole's
hometown of Sylmar, California. Cole Muscle Cars
specializes in complete custom race engines as well
as high performance street engines.
Her goal, 'For everyone to have pro Cole muscle
car in Pro Stock' With an accomplishment like this
one she is well on her way. Nicole has built in her
shop what Chevy Rumble magazine is claiming to be
the highest horse power 565 single carb engine that
they know of. As Nicole say's 'it's pretty
nice'.
I thought I would ask Nicole what she thinks of
the new serge of young kids taking part in the
illegal street scene. 'When we were street in the
early 90's you didn't see that many accidents or
people getting hurt' She adds, 'now it's not
something I would do.'
'The new young kids are out of control because
they don't practice on the tracks'.
As far as skill is concerned Nicole feel's it's
a lot harder to prove on the track.
'Your racing have to qualify, there is around a
typical 50/50 that you'll make it, if not your
going home.'
Pro stock and the NHRA are totally against the
illegal street scene and want everyone to get to
the track. NHRA Street Legal events are held on
drag strips across the United States. As many as
700 racers attend these events.
Nicole is proud of the inspiration her
involvement in racing brings to young girls. The
youngster's line up to meet her she has seen the
fascination in their faces. It is a world that they
don't realize they can enter. 'Its pretty cool I
like that'.
Lyon's is influencing attitudes every time she
races. Joy Donnell is Nicole's amazing Los Angeles
publicist. In a phone conversation Donnell
explained the effect Nicole is bringing. 'We're
talking a little about race, a little about gender,
intimately though, we're talking about change'.
Racing may be known now as dominated by 'the old
boys club' but as long as Nicole keeps racing those
ideas will become obsolete.
As Nicole puts it, 'It will all work out the
more and more I am out there and am ranking the
points'.
One of Nicole and her husband's goals for the
future is to start a school for inner city kids and
minorities who have an interest in racing. 'Many
people don't even know where to begin; they hear
about schools and don't even think that they could
one day race.' Nicole hopes to someday bring that
to reality for them.
Asides from the 24 race season she is in., she's
practicing and racing almost every weekend. 'As
much seat time you can get in the car is to your
benefit, you need to be in the cars constantly and
keep driving so your skills don't fall off'
The season ends in November at Pomona. Nicole
has set a goal to be the first woman to ever win a
Pro Stock series. In the past a small number have
entered, one has qualified. 'It is the most
competitive bracket in the NHRA, everyone has to
have 500 cubic engine so what can you do with
it?
Nicole's current car is with sentimental values.
It was the last car her dad built before he
suddenly passed away in February. Nicole say's she
will always keep the car and maintain it in the
condition it is in so her children can see what
great things their grandfather created.
Nicole describes her father's passing as one of
the most influential moments in her life.
'It really made me be that much more serious
about commanding peoples respect because I didn't
have him anymore to say no, she's the real deal out
here'. It was at a race only one week after her
fathers funeral where Lyons blasted the competition
by beating out the racer who was ranked third. 'I
always feel like now, when I'm in the car I can say
okay dad I need the car to do this and that and it
always happens, I have my own guardian angel with
me'.
The personal inspiration she found out of the
tragedy gave her something inside of her to make
things happen that was stronger than ever. 'Like I
can continue in these footsteps and these are hard
footsteps to follow' she laughs. 'I know my father
wouldn't have invested this if he didn't know I
could do this'.
Whenever you begin things you finish it, he
taught me that you don't half ass do anything'
Source: www.lasplash.com/publish/cat_index_Vehicles/Nicole_Lyons_changing_the_pace_of_Pro_Stock_Racing.php
Nicole Lyons to Debut in
Lucas Oil Series at the 2008 NHRA Season
Opener
Nicole Lyons brings a new level of competition to
the 2008 NHRA Racing Season
National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) Drag Racer
Nicole Lyons is back in action for the 2008 racing
season with a new car and a faster engine. Taking
the speedway by storm Lyons will debut her new six
second Comp Eliminator/Top Sportsman racecar during
the NHRA Lucas Oil Series Division 7 season opener
on February 28, 2008 in Phoenix, Arizona.
Racing down the ¼ mile speedway at over 195
miles per hour, Lyons will also compete in the Comp
Eliminator class that is bringing new levels of
competition as she is going head to head with all
new Pro Stock rookie contenders. “Fans can
expect me to be very competitive this season in the
POWERade Series too,” said Lyons.
“I’m looking to win and continue to move
forward towards my goal of becoming a top tier Pro
Stock racer.”
What Nicole has that the others do not is
perhaps the most important skill that has helped
Lyons move through classes so quickly, on her path
to achieving her Pro Stock goal. Lyons has the
ability to design engines from scratch, allowing
her to understand problems with the car while
driving. By using this knowledge she can adjust her
driving while on the speedway from an
engineer’s perspective, which enhances her
performance and has resulted in her fast-moving
success.
Today, she is keeping her father’s legacy
alive by pursuing her racing career while breaking
boundaries of being one of the world’s first
female African American drag racer in NHRA.
Starting out in the Super Street class in 2005
Lyons quickly advanced to Super Gas 2006 then to
Super Comp within the same season. Lyons has an in
depth knowledge of Chevy engines and muscle cars.
Now, Lyons looks forward to the opportunity to
compete against other female professional racers
like Ashley Force and Erica Enders.
* * *
Nicole Lyons has been nominated for "Sports
Leadership of the Year" at the 11th Annual
Multicultural Prism Award being held at the Henry
Fonda Theater on December 10, 2006. The nomination
is for all the efforts Nicole has placed in NHRA
drag racing, her continued commitment to giving the
Los Angeles community the knowledge of the sport,
and her telling of the importance of having black
race car drivers compete in the sport of
racing.
Nicole will be a presenter at the Urban Awards
to be held in Detroit on January 9th, 2007. The
Urban Awards are being hosted by Vivica A. Fox.
This huge award show is in conjunction with the
North American Auto Show.
Nicole's reality show "The DNA of Racing" is now
in post-production and will soon announce the major
network it will be shown on, and Black Drag
Racers.com will be the first to know. The show is
now filming the second season which will focus on
the purchase of a new Pro Stock car and all the
hard work involved with Nicole coming out as a
rookie in Pro Stock.
Nicole has just started a flurry of ad campaign
with a up and coming black male Nascar driver which
will kick off in January 2007. It will start with
them gracing the pages of People, Sports
Illustrated, Ebony and Essence, and they will then
move on to major television and radio shows. Major
sponsorship will be announced reflecting the two
drivers in the new year.
* * *
On Wednesday, March 15, 2006, Nicole Lyons was
uninjured after hitting the wall in the Chevy
Cavalier belonging to DBDRS @ Rockingham
Dragway-Rockingham, NC. Prior to hitting the wall,
Nicole had cut 0.003 lights and posted the best 60'
times (1.053) the Cavalier had ever seen. When
interviewed about the accident, Nicole gave the
following statement: "On Wednesday, the temperature
was around 45 to 50 degrees all day. The track was
only prepped a little pass the starting line. It
was freezing cold out there, and there were only
two Pro Mod guys out there running in addition to
us. Every time they attempted to make a run they
were all over the place. So, here I go. Something
told me, " You wouldn't even run your own car in
these conditions." But when you're trying to rush
to get your license because you're a day behind due
to bad weather and car problems, you're trying to
hurry up and get it done.
Initially, Dale thought since I'd never driven a
clutch car, I wouldn't be able to do the burnouts.
He said it took him 3 classes at Roy Hill's school
to get his license, and I was doing in the first
class what he had completed in three. So on
Wednesday, when I was putting it down the way I was
(the burnouts and the 60 foot numbers), everyone
was in shock. So even though the conditions weren't
to my liking, when Dale told me to go, I listened
because he was the teacher. I launched the car and
put it in second gear. As soon as I put it in
second, it immediately turned left and headed
straight to the wall on the other side. As soon as
it did that, I shoved the clutch in with all my
might. Once it's doing what it's doing, you're just
hanging on. I was hoping we would stop and
everything would be okay. The instructors were
trying to say I turned the wheel, but when I
punched in second and it turned, it went the way
the wheels were already turned. It was just a lot
of factors. There may have been some other measures
I could have taken, but being a rookie driver I did
the best I knew how. I was encouraged by one of the
Pro Mod guys who told me to keep doing what I'm
doing, and don't let this stop me. He said he
hadn't seen anything like what I had been doing. He
said there are two types of racers: Those who have
wrecked, and those who are going to wreck.
I was killing it in this car, better than the
instructor had done himself. They were telling my
husband that we were going to be so rich, it was
crazy! After the wreck the Pro Mod guys that were
loose all day said the track was bad, and they were
going to just go home. If there was another car
available that day, I would have come straight out
of the ambulance and back onto the track. I'm ready
to continue my quest for my pro stock license and
running my team!
To see the actual crash, keep your eyes open for
Nicole's upcoming reality show, "DNA of Racing".
They were filming while she attending DBDRS.
* * *
Nicole Lyons has been racing cars most of her
life and is one of the few African-American women
to race on the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA)
Circuit. Besides racing cars, Lyons also owns and
operates her own muscle car restoration shop (Cole
Muscle Cars).
Nicole will be one of the first students at Dale
Brinsfield's Drag Racing School (DBDRS) at
Rockingham Dragway-Rockingham, NC on March 13-15,
2006. Dale Brinsfield was formerly an instructor
with Roy Hill’s Driving School. Hopefully she
will achieve her Pro Stock license in the Jerry
Bickel built Chevy Cavalier powered by a Fulton
Race Engine that the school has recently acquired.
Attending DBDRS will provide the underlying know
how and ability for Nicole to achieve one of her
dreams, that of becoming a pro stock driver. This
will be accomplished with personal one-on-one
analysis and instruction by Dale Brinsfield
himself. Lyons will be bringing with her the film
crew from the soon to air "DNA of Racing" Reality
TV Show. The show will debut on one of four major
networks currently competing for the exciting 13
episode series.
Nicole Lyons In The DBDRS
Pro Stock Chevy Cavalier - 3/15/06
Nicole Lyons was born to become a NHRA drag racer.
Her father, famed Los Angeles street racer Jack
Davis, took her down the 1/4 mile track in her baby
seat at the tender age of 2. At the end of the 11
second pass, she screamed with joy and said,
"Daddy, let's go again!" From that point on Nicole
was in love with drag racing and attended drag
racing events with her parents almost every
weekend.
Her father was always her coach. He started her
off with a Super Street race car demanding that she
obtain all knowledge of the car from suspension to
the engine. She learned quickly and now drives a
Super Comp/Super Gas and Super Street '67 Firebird
with a big block 540 Merlin II with 900 horsepower.
Nicole says she owes everything to her father who
left her 13 rare muscle cars and a company. She and
her husband, Damion, run Cole Muscle Cars where
they restore muscle cars and build complete
race/high performance engines.
Lyons In Her 1967 Firebird
Not only can this young woman drive like there
is no tomorrow but she built her own engine. It is
a 565 Dart Big M with 1,100 horsepower. Chevy
Rumble magazine found out about it, and they think
it is the highest horsepower single carbureted
engine they have ever seen. Check out the article
in Chevy Rumble’s June or July issue.
In February, 2005 her father passed away with no
warning and Nicole lost her mentor and best friend.
Faced with tough decisions, she decided to proceed
along the path that she and her father had
envisioned for her – pursuing a Pro Stock
racing career. Well, let's just say this young
power house has a “no stop” attitude. One
week after her fathers' funeral she attended her
season opener of the NHRA Lucas Oil Series Division
7 race in Phoenix, AZ where she beat the racer
ranked #3 and that really opened the eyes of the
entire Division. “I always feel like now, when
I’m in the car I can say okay dad I need the
car to do this and that and it always happens, I
have my own guardian angel with me”. Nicole
was seen at the Lucas Oil Division 7 events racing
in 2 brackets, Super Gas and Super Street, since
her race car can go 9.50's with no problem.
Nicole runs her company while she races at all
the NHRA Lucas Oil Division 7 events. This caught
the eye of the head of GM drag racing who thinks
you will soon see Nicole in the Pro Stock division,
which she will one day rule.
Goals: Nicole has major goals within the NHRA.
She aspires to win and obtain Wally's. Nicole
already has made major moves in regards to starting
a Pro Stock team and if all goes right you just
might be hearing her name in Pro Stock real soon.
She will not let anything stop her from staging
next to the pro's in Pro Stock, cutting a light on
them and hitting all her shift points that will
launch her into victory.
Another one of Nicole and her husband’s
goals for the future is to start a school for inner
city kids and minorities who have an interest in
racing. “Many people don’t even know
where to begin; they hear about schools and
don’t even think that they could one day
race.” Nicole hopes to someday bring that to
reality for them.
Nicole Lyons will be one of the first students
at Dale Brinsfield's Drag Racing School (DBDRS) at
Rockingham Dragway-Rockingham, NC on March 13-15,
2006. Dale Brinsfield was formerly an instructor
with Roy Hill’s Driving School. Hopefully she
will achieve her Pro Stock license in the Jerry
Bickel built Chevy Cavalier powered by a Fulton
Race Engine that the school has recently acquired.
Attending DBDRS will provide the underlying know
how and ability for Nicole to achieve one of her
dreams, that of becoming a pro stock driver. This
will be accomplished with personal one-on-one
analysis and instruction by Dale Brinsfield
himself. Lyons will be bringing with her the film
crew from the soon to air "DNA of Racing" Reality
TV Show. The show will debut on one of four major
networks currently competing for the exciting 13
episode series.
Nicole will also attend the IHRA Spring
Nationals April 21-23 at Rockingham
Dragway-Rockingham, NC she will fly in from
California to drive Dale Brinsfield's Drag Racing
School (DBDRS) Chevy Cavalier in Top Sportsman.
Results
In her first season, Lyons debuted with a
24-race season and placed as a finalist.
Schedule
* * *
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