USAC

Welch Teaming With Tucker-Boat For Select Events

March 5, 2019

MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Motorsports broadcast personality Dillon Welch will team up with Tucker-Boat Motorsports for select NOS Energy Drink USAC National Midget Series events this season.

Welch, who has raced a handful of races for Scott and Tami Ronk in the No. 99p over the past several seasons, moves over to the operation co-owned by Chad Boat and Corey Tucker in a reunion for all parties involved.

“We’ve talked off and on with them for a while now, about my situation and me racing part time, and Chad and Billy (Boat) have always said they’ve enjoyed watching me race and have been impressed with how well I do for what little time I’m in the seat,” Welch told SPEED SPORT by phone on Wednesday. “They’ve told me before that if the opportunity to do something came up, they’d be interested in doing something. This worked out well because the Ronks are focusing more on sprint car racing this year and don’t have a lot of time to do the midget deal like we had in the past.

“Billy and Chad obviously have great equipment, and I’ve known them a long time. I’m excited about it because the first car we ever bought was a quarter midget from Billy and Chad, years ago,” Welch added. “It’s really full-circle for me, when you factor in too that Corey Tucker used to co-own the BCI cars when I drove for (Bryan) Clauson six or seven years ago. It’s like a homecoming, of sorts, for me.”

Team co-owner Chad Boat’s enthusiasm about bringing Welch onboard was easily recognizable.

“We’re really pumped up to have Dillon in a car for some races this year,” noted Boat. “We’ve kept an eye on him for a while and he impresses every time he straps into the seat. We’re excited to welcome him to the team and hope to have some success with him this season.

“Obviously, we’ve known Vince and Dillon for a long time, and just to get a chance to go racing with them is really exciting,” Boat continued. “I think it speaks to how we’ve built our program that we have drivers who want to come and race for us, and to add someone of Dillon’s caliber is something we feel will really add to what we’re doing this season.”

Welch said he will compete in roughly 10 races with Tucker-Boat, if all goes according to plan. The pairing will kick off their tenure April 5-6, during the Kokomo Grand Prix at Kokomo (Ind.) Speedway.

Select races during Indiana Midget Week, the Driven2SaveLives BC39 presented by NOS Energy Drink at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the series’ California swing in November are also in the working plans for Welch to race with Tucker-Boat as well.

Welch goes into his new situation with two goals in mind: contend to win races and get more seat time than he has in nearly a decade in preparation for the Lucas Oil Chili Bowl Nationals next January.

“Both those reasons are why I wanted to go and run for Chad, because I think their stuff is some of the nicest in the pits, if not the nicest in the pits,” Welch noted. “I honestly felt like any time I was in Ronk’s car, I had a chance to win, because the car was nice, the engines were nice and we had good people working on it … it was just the driver who was really at a disadvantage because I only ran a few times a year.

“The big thing that’s nice about this deal is that I get to run more, that instead of only running three (races) I have the potential of running as many as 10 shows,” he continued. “That, for me, is going to be big. The goal for me every year is to be ready for Chili Bowl, and having more races in really good, consistent equipment is going to be a big plus when we get to Tulsa.

While Welch knows he’s hopping into race-winning equipment, he’s not going into his tenure with Tucker-Boat putting any extra pressure on himself than he has in the past.

“Whether it’s realistic of me to expect myself to go win … I don’t know if that’s how I’m looking at this, because it’s going to be the most I’ve raced in a single season in six or seven years,” Welch admitted. “I’m not expecting myself to win, but I do expect to contend for top 10s, and maybe top fives at some point as well. It’s just about going out, doing the best we can each night and learning all we can.

“I’m just excited to be back in a really competitive car on a more-consistent basis.”