By Tim Tuttle
MILLSTADT, Ill. (Nov. 1, 2012)โDillon Welch of Carmel, Ind., won Rookie of the Year in the POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series in 2012 with a superb season saw him finish ninth in the championship.
The 18-year-old Welch had two top-fives and 10 top-10s in his first full season on dirt. He had raced on dirt only four times entering the season. Welch entered 19 POWRi Midget events and, impressively, qualified for 17 features. His best finish was fourth at Fayette County Speedway in Brownstown, Ill., on June 1. Welch was fifth at Lincoln (Ill.) Speedway on June 22 and he had four sixth places.
โItโs awesome to be POWRi Rookie of the Year,โ Welch said. โGoing into this year, it was definitely one of our goals to do that. We had a really good year and Iโm really happy with how everything went. Iโm very proud of what we accomplished.
โWe missed quite a few events (10) and still finished in the top 10. I would have liked to have gotten a win and was in position to win several times. Every time we ran, we were competitive and thatโs all you can ask for. Eventually, if you run in the top-five every night, youโre going to win.โ
On pavement, Welch was the 2009 USAC Kenyon Midget champion, has three wins in the USAC D1 Midwest Series and finished eighth in the famed USAC Turkey Night Grand Prix Midget event at Irwindale, Calif., in 2011.
Welch drove an Esslinger-powered Spike for Bryan Clauson Racing this season.
โI learned a ton this season,โ Welch said. โI had no dirt experience and the first few races I felt like a fish out of water. Working with Tim (Clauson) and Bryan (Clauson) helped ease my learning curve. I was good enough to run up front, but I was inexperienced running up front and that cost me. It was all part of the learning curve. It was night and day compared to where I was at the beginning of the year.โ
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series top-10 final points standings (29 events); 1. Andrew Felker, 3,080, 2. Brett Anderson 2,980, 3.Austin Brown 2,490, 4. Jake Blackhurst 2,385, 5. Tyler Thomas 2,310, 6. Daniel Robinson 2,205, 7. Brad Kuhn 2,190, 8. Chett Gehrke 2,000, 9. Dillon Welch 1,880, 10. Garrett Aitken 1,795.
POWRi Lucas Oil National Midget Series 2012 race winners: Kennedale, TexasโBrady Bacon; Kennedale, TexasโDave Darland; Jacksonville, Ill.โMario Clouser; Grain Valley, Mo.โBrett Anderson; Wheatland, Mo.โJake Blackhurst; Macon, Ill.โZach Daum; Belleville, Ill.โDanny Stratton; Peoria, Ill.โAndrew Felker; Brownstown, Ill.–Brett Anderson; Haubstadt, Ind.โBrady Bacon; Grain Valley, Mo.โMichael Pickens; Springfield, Mo.โMichael Pickens; Lincoln, Ill.โDanny Stratton; Macon, Ill.โBubba Altig; Wilmot, Wis.โAndrew Felker; Sun Prairie, Wis.โRico Abreu; Beloit, Kan.—Scott Hatton; McCool Junction, Neb.โRico Abreu; Cameron, Mo.โKyle Larson; Belleville, Ill.โRico Abreu; Lincoln, Ill.โBryan Clauson; Macon, Ill.โBryan Clauson; Sun Prairie, Wis.โBrad Kuhn; Du Quoin, Ill.โTyler Thomas; Du Quoin, Ill.โBryan Clauson; Jacksonville, Ill.โDanny Stratton; Canton, Ill.โBrad Kuhn; Macon, Ill.โTyler Thomas; Belleville, Ill.โAustin Brown.
For more information, go to www.POWRi.com.