Well, another season has come and gone…unfortunately. It always makes the beginning of the off season a little bit better though if you finish off the year strong. I feel like I did that so that helps ease the transition.
I drove the 9 Racing ClubSport/St.Vincent Sports Performance/Z-Line Designs Beast in Iriwndale, CA for the 71st annual Turkey Night Grand Prix on Thanksgiving night. It was the culmination of a great week.
I arrived in Southern California on Sunday night. We tested on Monday and things went alright. We fought a tight car most of the evening, and that had us scratching our heads a little bit. We made a lot of changes and I even tried a different line but we still had the push.
Tuesday I made a sponsor appearance at the Renaissance ClubSport in Aliso Viejo. It was great to take a show car there and meet many of the guests who were staying at the hotel or working out at the club. Many were very interested in seeing my car and learning more about my career as a racer.
 Dillon and the 9 at ClubSport appearance in Aliso Viejo |
Wednesday officially kicked off Turkey Night. It was an open test for everyone who was entered in the race. Once agian we were pretty tight, but at the end we bolted on some new tires and the car felt much better. Ending the night on a positive note gave me even more confidence headed into raceday.
Unfortunately, Thursday began the same as Monday and Wednesday…tight. We qualified 20th out of 35 cars and I must admit I was disappointed and discouraged.
My teammate Levi Roberts started 23rd and my plan was to just try and work my way up through the field with him. He got some openings at the start and passed about seven cars in the first lap, so needless to say I was on my own.
Irwindale is probably the best pavement track for a midget. It’s progressively banked, and this provides for some great racing and passing opportunities. Last year I started 28th and moved my way up through the field, so I wasn’t as surprised to see some of the moves people were making this time around.
My car was working really good and a caught a break by avoiding a big wreck in turn 3, I was up to 9th with 12 laps to go. Trying to pass for eighth, I got out of the groove and just about knocked down the fence and lost four or five spots. I was kicking myself big time for costing the team, and myself, a ton of spots after I’d worked so hard to pass them. A restart with 8 to go gave me an opportunity for redemption and I too advantage, getting up on the wheel and passing my up to the 8th spot. I dove for 7th on the last corner, but just ran out of race track.
Needless to say, I was pleased with 8th. Former USAC great Dave Steele was my crew chief for the week and he was a great help. Having him offering advice and making decisions regarding the car and tires provided me with a lot of confidence. Thanks to Dave, plus Glenn Martin and Krieg Poland for a very fun second half of the 2011 season. I really enjoyed working with all the 9 guys, and they really made it fun to be at the race track.
Of course, I owe a big thank you to car owner Steve Lewis. Steve really worked with us this year to get me in the car mid-season and made me feel like I’d been with the team for years. Aside from being a great car owner, he’s a great guy. He put my friend Chris Wilner and me up at his house the first few days of our west coast adventure, and gave us the keys to his Suburban, telling us to “go wherever we want, just don’t wreck it”.
Most of all, I can’t say thank you enough to all of our sponsors/supporters this season. Our mid-season struggles could have derailed the rest of our season, but you all stepped up and helped get me back in the seat. I will forever be grateful for that, and your continued support in general. A special thanks to Steve Gilmour from ClubSport, Ralph Reiff of St. Vincent Sports Performance, and Jim & Monica Sexton of Z-Line Designs.
None of it would be possible without the support and cooperation of my mom, dad and sisters. They sacrifice in ways only a “racing family” would understand. Love you all!
While there are parts of this season I term successful, there is so much room to grow. I’m working to get better everyday as a driver and we’re constantly working on improving our racing program. I’m confident big strides will be made in the off-season.
-Dillon
