Paul Lyons

Paul Lyons is an American racing driver that previously raced in the TM Master Cup Series and currently competes in the ARLA Elite Series for Team Burr in the #54 car. Lyons grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. He began racing in karts and worked his way up to the TM Lights with Rick Milligan. Early in his career, Lyons was known for his playboy lifestyle and his less-than serious attitude towards racing, leading many to suggest he was only in motorsport for the money. After a season with Team Burr, however, Lyons changed, and earned respect for willingly staying at Team Burr and managing to be competitive with them.

TM Master Cup Series Career
Following the death of Jonathon Smith, Jr. in 2005, Lyons drove some races with Smith's #94 team, which according to TM Master Cup series custom was renumbered to #21. Lyons made his debut at the last ever TM Master Cup series race at Sears Point, where he struggled to a 24th place result, controversially making contact with Rachel Rainsford midway through the race. Lyons did better than any of the other drivers that took a turn in the #21 car that season, so he was called to run for Rookie of the Year in 2006.

He had a strong rookie season, scoring his first win in a thrilling finish at Mansfield, but ultimately came up short in the Rookie of the Year points to Alexis Rainsford, who did not start every race that season. Lyons had a rough 2007, failing to qualify on numerous occasions, as his #21 car dropped out of the top 27 in points early on in the year.

2008 was better, winning at Indianapolis was the highlight, but again, Lyons missed some races in a car many expected to contend for wins on a regular basis. Since Ethan Everett was not yet old enough to drive in the TM Master Cup series or in TM Lights, Lyons was offered an extension to his contract, which would run out after 2009, but was was released from his contract following the 2009 Round of Salem. He was originally supposed to by replaced by Leroy Brittain, but Brittain was not cleared to drive, as he had been injured from a fall while doing household maintenance. George Dennis stepped in as Lyons's replacement, and Dennis was seldom quicker than Lyons had been. Starting with the 2009 Round of Japan, Ethan Everett drove the car until the end of the season, after which National Racing downsized to four cars. Everett won his debut race and never logged a DNQ, but was not terribly impressive, putting Lyons's performances in a different light.

While Lyons apparently had every right to suggest that the team did not give him a strong team to work with, he performed the job adequately. Many suggested Lyons was only in racing for the money, and not really motivated to actually race, an image that led him to Team Burr in ARLA for the following season.

ARLA Career
Lyons moved to ARLA for 2010 with the newly formed Team Burr. Despite a solid qualifying effort at Daytona, he pulled out early in the race (this may have been legitimate, since the car had been seriously damaged in the rookie shootout race earlier in the weekend), but the team start and parked for the rest of the season except at Texas, where Lyons finished the race after dropping back at one point, and at Talladega, where both he and his teammate Toby Armstrong ran the full race. In 2011, Team Burr consistently ran the full races, and Lyons was forced to take a pay cut if he wanted to stay with the team for an extra year. Toby Armstrong left the team and was replaced by A.J. Young.

For 2012, Lyons appeared to be revitalized, since he showed up to the preseason more energized than ever despite having the most thankless task in the ARLA field; driving for Team Burr willingly. Many observers noted the change in Lyons's outlook to racing, no longer was Paul Lyons a spoiled kid who had a misplaced ego, but a hard-working, fearless racing driver, faced with the challenge of being competitive in the #54 Team Burr car.

Knowing that he had two teammates with money, Derek Dudding and A.J. Young did not faze Lyons at all, and he logged a top 10 in a sterling drive in the wet at Mosport. Lyons and his team notably celebrated the result as if they had won, such a result was believed to be out of reach for Team Burr even in their wildest dreams. He could barely give an interview due to how emotional he became after the race.

Lyons regularly began to perform very well with no money and a bad car, notching another top 10 later in the year at Memphis. His performances with Team Burr gave him two outings in the Grease Burger Racing #09 car, where, despite not having a great car, Lyons raised his game.

Lyons's ARLA performances have not gone unnoticed, and he is believed to be making a TM Master Cup series return for the upcoming race in New York, possibly for Majestic Motorsports. He is not expected to be back in ARLA full-time in 2013.