Dillon Welch Joins Nine Racing
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.
"We are very pleased to have Dillon join our Nine Racing program," Steve Lewis said. "I have known Dillon since he was probably eight or nine years old and he has worked hard throughout his young career. Dillon has gathered an extensive amount of ‘open wheel’ experience in a short period of time. He has won at all levels and has shown great promise this season at the competitive USAC Mopar National Midget Pavement Series events. We are very pleased to have Dillon on board for the remainder of the season.”
Throughout the years the young racer, who has a keen sense of the sport’s history, always dreamed of driving the famed 9 cars for Lewis.
“For so long the #9 car has been the standard of greatness with drivers like Stan Fox, Tony Stewart, Kasey Kahne, Dave Darland, Jason Leffler, JJ Yeley, and on and on," Welch said. "With its history, it's an honor to have the chance to drive the #9 car.”
After beginning his racing career at age seven in quarter midgets, where Welch won multiple championships, he moved up to Kenyon Midgets and captured the series title piloting a car wrenched by hall of fame driver Mel Kenyon. The next stop was the USAC Regional Midget Series where Welch made multiple trips to victory lane while driving for legendary car builder Bob East.
"I've been blessed to learn from some of the best at every level," Welch said. "And that will continue with Steve's team at Nine Racing."
Despite having only a handful of USAC National Midget Series starts, Welch has demonstrated that he can go wheel to wheel with the sport's best. Earlier this season, the rookie drew notice with the fastest qualifying time for the USAC Mopar National Midget Series event at the Milwaukee Mile.
"Dillon has shown he can run up front with the National drivers," Lewis said. “Running up front is always good, but for Dillon Welch, doing so in the 9 car will make it even better.”
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 2011 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.
Seventeen-year-old Dillon Welch has signed with Nine Racing to compete in the four remaining USAC Mopar National Midget Pavement Series events of 2011.
Dillon Welch recently visited the Nine Racing shop in Brownsburg, Indiana, for his fitting in the famed #9 midget to compete in upcoming USAC Mopar National Midget Pavement Series events at Lucas Oil Raceway, the Bryant Heating & Cooling Indianapolis Speedrome and Toyota Speedway at Irwindale.
