TULSA, Okla. — Dillon Welch has enjoyed plenty of success in his racing career, first as a USAC Kenyon Midget champion and later as a POWRi Midget League Rookie of the Year.
He still loves to race but his real job with NBC Sports and MRN Radio now takes the lion’s share of his time. Given how rare seat time is, his performances when opportunities arise are universally lauded.
To that point, after the final checkered flag waved on Thursday night’s round at the Chili Bowl Nationals Welch had logged a seventh-place finish and was in solid position to qualify for Saturday’s feature.
It leads some to ask how he does it.
“It is about surrounding myself with the right people,” he said. “That’s what it has always been about for me even going back to when I first started racing on dirt with Bryan Clauson. I didn’t come up through the micro ranks or anything like that. I was a pavement kid and I really didn’t have any dirt experience until I got a midget.”
One aspect of having the right people around him rests on the ability of his team to give him a car that feels comfortable and thus gives him the confidence to drive as hard as the situation requires. He knew coming into the week he was in a good spot.
Chad Boat is now recognized as one of the top owners in the sport and with talented Grant Penn in the fold as his crew chief, Welch was optimistic before he had even turned a wheel in Tulsa.
In an odd twist, because he races infrequently, he surmises that he has turned more laps at Tulsa Expo Raceway than any other track.
“I know that race track really well,” he said, “and it doesn’t change that much year after year. That’s important. It’s another variable I don’t have to worry about.”
Welch has been at this game long enough to understand how the midget racing landscape has changed. Yet, where others bemoan the current state of affairs, he’s far more philosophical.
“Midget racing has always been aggressive,” he said. “and this is what you have to expect. It has become a very physical form of open wheel racing, and we all know that when we strap in. If it bothers you that much you should probably stay home.”
Even though Welch’s full-time job involves more NASCR and Indy car racing than short track work, he still feels mixing it up behind the wheel helps him in his career.
“I think in a weird way it gives me more credibility with some of the guys I’m interviewing,” he said. “Even on the NASCAR side of things they all know I race. It’s not like they treat me differently than someone who doesn’t race or hasn’t raced before but there is a subconscious bond. It makes me different than your average reporter.”
Things are about to get hectic in Welch’s life. Welch and professional racing broadcaster Hannah Newhouse recently announced their engagement. That requires a great deal of planning. Nonetheless, now his focus is on beating the odds and cracking the starting field at the 36th annual Chili Bowl Nationals.