Meredith Burns
Brownsburg, Indiana (April 3, 2012) — After concluding the 2011 USAC National Midget Series with a respectable 8th-place finish at the prestigious 71st Turkey Night Grand Prix, Dillon Welch, of Carmel, Indiana, was ready to earn another strong showing as the National Midgets visited Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, North Carolina, for the season opening “The Real Deal” Salute to Shane Hmiel event.
Dillon was entered in the two-day event, Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31, in the Nine Racing, Inc. #9 midget and showed promise during both nights of racing on the fast, paved, banked 4/10-mile speedway.
For the first race of the 2012 USAC National Midget season on Friday night, Dillon joined 23 other drivers during the qualifying session and recorded a time of 14.462, which placed him 13th on the starting grid. Dillon began the first heat race outside the second row but when the green flag waved he vaulted into 2nd place at the start and finished a very close 2nd at the end of eight laps. Although Dillon started the 25-lap main event in 13th, he quickly began passing cars and moved up several positions before a push condition slowed his progress, resulting in a 13th-place finish.
For Saturday evening’s race, a strong contingent of midgets were ready to put on an exhilarating show for the local North Carolina fans. Twenty-three midgets took the green flag for the two qualifying laps and Dillon Welch drove the Nine Racing, Inc. #9 midget to a best lap of 14.540, which placed him 11th overall. Just like on Friday night, Dillon again got a terrific launch at the start of the second heat race, and finished 2nd behind heat race winner Brian Clauson. Dillon started the 30-lap main event in 11th and worked his way up to 8th position in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, on a restart late in the race he lost a few positions and finished the night in 11th.
“This is a fast, fun track and you can really get up to speed quickly,” said Dillon Welch. “Ace Speedway has long straights and tight banked corners so the racing is close and you are in traffic on every lap. While each race this weekend didn’t produce the results we expected, we are pleased to come out of this event in 10th position in the USAC National Midget Series points. We know how we can improve and look forward to finishing stronger at races this season.”
Dillon Welch is sponsored by St. Vincent Sports Performance, Z-Line Designs, The Studio, BioStorage Technologies, CASE Remodeling, Validated Custom Solutions, Sullivan Hardware, Brownsburg Muffler, Average Joe’s, Row Printing and Windsor Jewelers.
Nine Racing’s 2012 sponsor lineup includes K&N Engineering, Eibach Springs, Weld Racing, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Penske Racing Shocks, Performance Friction Brakes, ASE, Earl’s Performance Plumbing, SSi Decals, PJ1, and Hoosier Racing Tire.