Dystany Spurlock made her ARCA Menards Series national debut at Kansas Speedway last weekend in the No. 66 Chevrolet. Despite late-race contact, she managed a 10th-place finish, becoming the first black woman to compete in the series and finish in the Top 10.

The unfortunate incident took place when No. 18 Toyota Tundra driver, Gio Ruggiero, was running third. He made contact with the rear bumper of Spurlock's No. 66 Chevy while trying to lap her and chase race leader, Jack Wood. The move sent Spurlock's car into a partial spin before she made a brilliant save on the apron.

The incident triggered a caution flag, and Ruggiero eventually won the race, fending off Daniel Dye at the end. Dystany Spurlock showed zero signs of frustration in her post-race interview regarding Ruggiero's move. She was just grateful for completing her first-ever race on a mile-and-a-half track.

"I just kept digging and kept learning every lap we did," Spurlock told Frontstretch. "My team definitely set up my car to be amazing, and I set out just to finish, but I ended up finishing—finishing 10th, so that was amazing.

When asked specifically about the incident with Ruggiero, she had a calm and easy-going response instead of one of frustration, considering her debut was nearly spoiled.

"Yeah, it was funny. I held my line, and he decided to tap me, and then I went spinning, and then a caution came out. So, I guess it helped him; it worked to his advantage. But, um, it’s okay. We saved the car, we kept going, I continued to stay focused, and we ended up finishing 10th, so I’m happy with that," Spurlock said.

Gio Ruggiero Explains Aggressive Move On Dystany Spurlock

While Gio Ruggiero's move on the lapped car of Dystany Spurlock was controversial, he stood by his overall aggressive driving in the closing stages of the race. Talking about that run just before two overtime restarts, the 19-year-old Joe Gibbs Racing driver said (via Motorsport.com):

"You just got to do whatever it takes to win. That's what I did. I thought we had a really strong car, and I just couldn't let these guys down and win the race… definitely executed on those last restarts and did whatever it took."

Ruggiero then addressed the contact with Spurlock and accepted that it was a misjudgment on his part.

"I was just trying to work lapped traffic really aggressively to catch the leaders or try to run them down. Really struggling with a loose balance. Just kind of misjudged it. I think she turned down. I'm not sure if she was trying to go to the top or the bottom, but just gotta work on that stuff. Happy to get the win," the No. 18 Toyota driver added.

Ruggiero has won in both of his ARCA starts this year at Daytona and Kansas.

Read more at the RFK Racing Digest!

Written by

Sanskriti Pastor

Edited by

Yask Kotak