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| Dillon with Hall of Fame bowler Mike Aulby from last year’s event |
Woodland Bowl on the northside of Indianapolis will once again be the site of a fundraiser event hosted by Dillon Welch. The 17 year old racer will split proceeds from the second annual Bowling WithThe Stars with the Alheimer’s Association of Indiana. The event will be held on Sunday August 28. Registration begins at 4pm.
“It’s a great time and it’s for everybody,” Dillon said. “Some foursomes are made up of family members, some are classmates, some are adults having a day out with friends. We just want everyone to have fun and know that they are helping.”
Bowlers register in advance but can register as a solo participant or register as a foursome. Lane sponsorships and event sponsorships are also available.
Brownsburg, Indiana (July 29, 2011) — Seventeen-year-old and expe
rienced midget racer Dillon Welch climbed into the #9 midget for his first race driving for the Nine Racing team at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, on Thursday, July 28, and brought the car home in 10th place.
Dillon started the night by qualifying 12th for the USAC Mopar National Midget Series event, but was able to gain a few positions during the 30-lap feature race.
“Growing up here in Indiana, I always enjoyed watching the #9 midgets, and now to be able to actually drive the car in front of my home crowd was a dream come true,” said Dillon. “I definitely learned a lot tonight from the help of my crew chief Glenn Martin, which I’ll be sure to apply for my next race tomorrow.”
Brownsburg, Indiana (July 25, 2011) —Dillon Welch, of Carmel, Indiana, has signed
with the Nine Racing midget team for the remaining four USAC Mopar National Midget
Pavement events.
In a decade of racing that started with 1/4 midgets at the Mini Indy Track in
Indianapolis, Indiana, seventeen-year-old Dillon Welch gained valuable racing
experience as he progressed up through the ranks. He also drove Kenyon Midgets for
Mel Kenyon before he started racing in the USAC Regional Midget series for car owner
Bob East. Now Dillon Welch will finish the 2011 USAC Mopar National Midget Pavement
Series in the seat of the Nine Racing #9 midget.
Welch will drive the Nine Racing machine for the four remaining pavement races on
the USAC National Midget schedule. Two of those dates are high-profile events in
central Indiana during Brickyard 400 week. Welch will compete Thursday, July 28, at
Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, and Friday, July 29, at the Bryant Heating & Cooling
Indianapolis Speedrome. An October 22 date at Lucas Oil Raceway and the annual
Turkey Night Grand Prix on November 24 at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale, in
California, will round out the schedule.
But, as anyone who’s driven an oval (real or virtual) can attest, it’s a little more complicated than just turning left. OK, so there’s rarely much elevation change to take into account, even fewer “blind” corners. But a whole host of issues conspire to make every oval turn unique: variations in radius, degree of banking, bumps and pavement patches, not to mention visual cues, matter. The Indianapolis Motor Speedway may look like a symmetrical rectangular oval on paper, but don’t tell anyone who’s ever pointed an IndyCar into the visual tunnel of Turn One at 230 mph that it’s identical to Turn Three.
Dillon Welch has driven his final race for car owner Marc DeBeaumont.
“Marc called on Tuesday night and said he could not keep the deal we had agreed to prior to the season because of his financial difficulties,” Dillon’s dad, Vince Welch, said. “It’s a tough situation for Marc in that his sponsor didn’t pay what was promished, and it’s unfortunate Dillon is the one who suffers by not being able to race.”
In the past two weeks the 17 year old USAC National Midget rookie had garnered attention with his speed at two of the circuit’s fastest tracks. Welch recorded the fastest qualifying time at the Milwaukee Mile before a sixth place finish in the race, and then backed it up with the fastest practice session the following week at Iowa Speedway. Unfortunately Welch never got to show that speed in qualifying at Iowa due to a mechanical issue. The rear axle broke during his qualifying run causing a high speed crash. Welch raced the backup car to a 14th place finish.
Welch was scheduled to race Friday night at Toledo Speedway and Saturday night at Grundy County Speedway.
“It’s very disappointing to be missing races,” Dillon said. “You can’t do anything but move on and concentrate on trying to secure another opportunity with a more stable team.”
Raising sponsorship dollars to re-invest in another team is a challenge in mid-stream, but it’s the task now faced.
“I’m hopeful I’ll be back in a car soon,” Dillon said. “I need some help but we’re working at it very hard, and have faith that it will happen.”
