Mieshael Henry made history in 2023 as the first Black woman drag racer in California when she joined D&M Racing LLC, piloting a 1968 Pontiac Firebird named “Illicit.”
Women make up less than 10 percent of the motorsports industry, and Black women are even less represented — appearing as engineers, drivers and team owners. Black men have a modest presence, with only six drivers currently competing professionally.
“I love drag racing because you can hit top speed and don’t have to worry about someone telling you that you can’t go that fast or do certain things,” said Mieshael Henry. “There’s a different variety of cars on the track, each bringing different amounts of horsepower.”
Black women in the motorsports industry date back to the 1960s. Cheryl Linn Glass became the first Black woman sprint car racer, while Nellie Goins broke barriers as a funny car drag racer. Funny car racing is a type of drag racing with unique appearances and a 3.8-second range.
Linn Glass began racing in quarter-midget cars before earning the title “Rookie of the Year.” At 18, she bought her first sprint race car and started competing at Skagit Speedway in Mount Vernon, becoming the first black woman professional race car driver.
Nellie Goins (Nitro Nellie) became the first black woman funny car racer from the late 1960s to the 1970s. She began racing due to her husband’s influence. The first car she started racing in was the 1968 Plymouth Barracuda.
“As a little girl, I watched my dad street race and then drag race, and I always wanted to get in the car, get in the hot seat, [and] feel that horsepower. And at the time that I wanted to, [but] I couldn’t, because of my age,” said Mieshael Henry.
D&M Racing LLC is a family-operated race team officially created in San Francisco in 2002 by Michael Henry Jr. He was driven “to have a professional drag racing team that would inspire people from his community to have a different narrative towards the automotive industry.”
The race team’s victories at the Sonoma Raceway (2010), Governor’s Cup Finals of Pro Slammers (2011), best-appearing Hotrod and Top Sportsman’s Runner-Up (2022) and NHRA Nationals Open (2023) are testaments to their dedication and skill.
The race team consists of Michael Henry Jr. (Owner/Crew Chief/ Driver), Deneitra Henry (Team Manager) and Mieshael Henry (Driver/Crew).
Michael Henry founded D&M LLC to create a professional drag racing team that would inspire people from his community and highlight the business opportunities within the industry.
“If you have a race car, you [should] have a race team for tax purposes…Marketing partners, sponsors, supporters, [and] write offs, [are] all the things that go into the business side of racing,” he said.
Mieshael Henry’s father, Michael Henry, is a fellow drag racer, so she grew up around the drag racing environment. She was around the racetrack and attended drag races frequently, which built her love for the sport.
Her journey to becoming a drag racer started two years ago when she sat behind the wheel of a drag racing car and said, “I’m gonna drive.” Her father expressed excitement about her desire, but it took some time for her mother to come around and support the decision.
“I was against it because I was thinking about the safety for her and being around for her child because it is a dangerous sport,” said Deneitra Henry, her mother.
For six years, Deneitra Henry opposed her daughter’s racing ambitions, concerned for her safety. After being diagnosed with breast cancer, her perspective shifted.
“After I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I was saying, “Just live your life.” You only have one life to live if that’s something you want to do achieve it. I’m not against it anymore. We only have one life to live, and I don’t want to be the person holding you back from what you want to do,” she said.
With the support of both parents, she was sent to “Frank Hawley’s Drag Racing School” in Las Vegas to help train her to become a drag racer. She was the only black girl at the race school.
Her father also trained her on the fundamentals of drag racing — from proper burnout techniques to staging the car and safely shutting it down.
Only three Black women are currently known to compete in drag racing nationally: Tia Norfleet, Nicole Lyons and Mieshael Henry.
According to a report by the Hamilton Commission, Black women in motorsports often endure banter that can be perceived as offensive. Despite this, some black women choose to ‘laugh it off’ or mask their discomfort with a smile, highlighting the resilience and strength required in this field.
Mieshael speaks about her feelings competing in a male-dominated sport.
“I love it. The reason why I say I love it is because [it’s] not every day you get to see a woman line up against a man in my circuit… It brings something different to the table; it gets the crowd excited.“That’s a woman behind the wheel racing against this guy. I don’t think she can beat them,” and then I end up beating them,” she said.
Michael and Deneitra Henry also believe the lack of financial support can contribute to the lack of black representation in motorsports. Both described the difficulties of gathering sponsorships for her compared to Michael (her father).
Unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, when Michael struggled to secure sponsorships, organizations have been more willing to support Mieshael, recognizing both her talent and the inspiration she brings as a trailblazer.
Mieshael’s achievement of becoming the first Black woman drag racer serves as an inspiration to young Black girls showing them that ‘anything is possible.’ Some ways she has tried connecting with young black girls include writing a book, I Want To Go Fast, about her story as a drag racer and being a guest speaker at elementary schools.
She described the reactions of young Black girls meeting her as happy, jumping for joy and wanting to sit in the car’s driver’s seat. Her mother described the interactions as heart-warming, seeing young Black girls love her and give her hugs.
Michael Henry highlights the crucial role of having role models for young kids.
“One of the things about young people [is] it doesn’t matter whatever they are; they need to see some role models. They need to see people doing things so they can do things too,” he said.
Mieshael has said that promoting herself at schools and events has caused young girls to look up to her and want to be a racer in the future.
“The advice I would give [young Black girls] is to get involved with race. I would get to their parents first and [say] bring your children to the racetrack. If you’ve been around drag racing and you see that your daughter [is interested] in it, get her involved,” she said. “For the little girls who want to become racers, get involved. Learn everything you can at your young age [to] soak it all up.”
Christion Billy is a reporter for HUNewsService.com.
