Race car driver Nicole Lyons gives a whole new meaning to what it means to be driven. Talented as she is beautiful, she’s carving a name for herself as one of the rarest entities in drag racing: an African-American woman. Madame Noire caught up with her as she opened up about drag racing, her pro football husband’s injuries, and her undying love for her parents.
Madame Noire: Describe what a pro race car driver does.
Nicole Lyons: There are several different [race car competitions], NASCAR, NHRA, Indy. You have to be licensed in a particular field of racing. You definitely have to be making money…Danica Patrick, for example, makes upwards of 20 to 30 million a year…Ways to make money [include] winning races, getting sponsors, getting paid as a driver. The money [you can make] is endless when it comes to winnings, sponsorships…
MN: How much do you make?
NL: I probably pocket upwards of $500,000 to one million a year…
MN: How in the world did you get started? You’re a rare gem, so who was your role model?
NL: Old school women racers who were white women; my dad was a race car driver himself… My father passed away a week before my 1st NHRA season opener in 2005. And right off the bat, I’d beat the #3 person from the year before. I feel like he’s there—we can literally talk to each other. My mom was in the pic…she didn’t race but she cheered.
MN: How do you interact with cars in your pastime?
NL: I own 13 muscle cars, besides my race cars. [My husband and I] probably own a $2,000,000 collection; I also own Cole Muscle Cars, a muscle car restoration shop… I believe a driver’s role should not just be as a driver, but you should be able to do anything that’s needed on your car as well.
MN: How does the NHRA treat African American women in the business?
NL: They have some pride there; you’re not hearing scrutinizing from heads of NHRA—the scrutinizing comments come from corporations. A big motor vehicle company [that was considering sponsoring me] said, we’d really love to sponsor you, but we’re concerned that if we part ways, black people would stop buying our vehicles. [Some also] feel like women are going to take time to have kids—you’ve just gotten millions, and you’re going to say, ‘oh guess what I’m pregnant,’ and you’re going to want a family and not want to do this anymore…
MN: Tell us about your reality show coming out with 495 Productions.
NL: It’s about my husband and I—me searching/traveling through this motor sport, stepping up to NHRA in different ways. You’re gonna see how hard it is for us to get to where we want to be—problems that happen because we dedicate so much money & time to racings. Friends have weddings—we miss a whole lot of things that a normal person would get to go and have fun and attend.
MN: Are you going to have kids?
NL: I do plan on having kids. My parents didn’t have me until a later age—I don’t want to, until I’m ready. I’m not into the nanny situation; I wanna be there for my kids—see their rehearsals, recitals…I may adopt a kid too; I definitely believe in adoption.
MN: Is race car driving dangerous?
NL: Of course! Yes, the reason we have the [professional] license, the reason it’s a hard licensing process, the reason why we’re called professionals [is partly because] you know and your family knows that this may be the last time they see you. People don’t realize how fast it is we’re going…Ferraris are not [nearly as] fast. [Race car drivers are] pushing these cars to the brink.
MN: How does your husband feel about your car racing?
NL: He played pro football. (His name is Damion Lyons and he hurt himself in a non-football-related incident—dirt bike riding). He broke his wrists in several different places and can no longer play, so he also played a very dangerous sport where guys are injured all the time, some dying on the field, exhaustion or whatever. We have the pure love for it, passion for it. [People] are more at risk [getting from the] office to home—than I am on the track.
MN: What does it mean to be a “Madame Noire?”
NL: I think it means to be strong, confident, set yourself apart from the others, don’t be afraid to take a stance—encompasses grace and beauty with how you take that stance. It’s an overall feel as well: being beautiful, while doing what you want to do.
