2017 Highlights

2017 was a roller coaster ride for sure! There were enough ups and downs to keep us all on our toes. Looking back on the year, even though things didn't always go our way, we made some amazing memories as a family.

Thank you to Tri Star Racewear, Ultimateqm, Flash Products, MPI - Max Papis Innovations, WAR Ink Graphics, Dale Raber, Ron & Rita Stanley, and the Loden Family (Stephanie Loden / Nick Loden Racing) for all being part of an amazing 2017 racing season!

Now, we'll move forward to do it all over again in 2018!

2017 Midwest Thunder - Mini Indy

7/1/2017 (Mini Indy): We raced Jr Honda and Lt 160 for the first day of the Midwest Thunder regional race at Mini Indy Speedway in Indianapolis, IN. The MWT races use a heat race format for qualifying, instead of timed laps like we are used to. Dillon rose to the challenge in his Jr Honda, winning his heat race and securing the pole position for the A Main.

In the Lt 160 heat race, Dillon started in 4th and fell back to the rear on the start. He was able to make it up to 6th for the finish, but ran out of laps before he could do anything more. This put him starting 6th in the C Main to try to make it into the feature race. Unfortunately, he ended up in a wreck in the C Main and Ron wasn’t able to get the car fixed before the work laps were up, so that ended our attempt to make it into the Lt 160 feature race.

In the Jr Honda feature, Dillon started on the pole and a good lead on the field, but a caution ended up bunching everyone back together. After the restart he and the 2nd place car started swapping the lead back and forth, unfortunately this allowed the 3rd place car to catch up to them and the 3 cars ended up wrecking. Dillon ended up having to restart at the tail of the field and was able to work his way up to 7th in the handful of laps remaining.

 7/2/2017 (Mini Indy): We raced Jr Animal for day 2 of the Midwest Thunder regional race at Mini Indy Speedway. Dillon was able win his heat race after starting in the 6th position, once again locking himself in to start on the pole of the A Main. He finished 2nd in the A Main, finally landing a spot on the podium at this track for the first time.

2017 June Race Recaps

6/3 (NCQMA): In Jr Honda, Dillon qualified 2nd, but they inverted the top 4, which put him starting 3rd. He took the lead early on and managed to hold off some stiff competition to keep it to the end, getting his 2nd Jr Honda win in a row! We are so proud of him!

In Jr Animal, Dillon also qualified 2nd, so he started 3rd in the feature. He was able to stay in third for a while, but the car was just too tight and eventually he fell back to finish 4th. In the past, trying to race with a too tight Animal car would have resulted in him either flipping or just backing out completely and riding around. We were so proud to see him being smart and driving through it the best he could. Dillon has really come a long way in his driving abilities since we started racing.

In Lt 160, Dillon qualified and started 6th. It was a tough race with lots of wrecks and his arms were really tired after his other races. He hung in there though and ended up finishing 4th. Overall it was a good day and we are very happy with how well Dillon did!


6/6 (NCQMA): For our Summer Series Tuesday night races, all starting positions are set by pill draw in order to make these fairly quick evenings. In Jr Honda, Dillon started on the pole. On the start the rest of the field got jumbled together which helped Dillon pick up a huge lead on the rest of the pack. Unfortunately as Dillon got ready to start lapping cars, one of the other drivers stopped on the track causing a caution. They restarted with the field bunched back up and Dillon and the 2nd place car pulled ahead. Just as they got ready to start lapping the back of the field, the same car stopped again, resulting in another caution. The next restart kept the cars closer together and Dillon and another car ended up getting together, sending Dillon from the lead to the back of the field. Unfortunately some cars in the middle of the pack didn’t take off on the start, so Dillon had to get around them before he could start trying to close the gap with the leaders. He managed to catch them, but ran out of laps before he was able to do more than that. He ended up finishing 4th.

In Jr Animal, Dillon started on the pole and led for a while but then had to go to the back after getting together with another car. He managed to make his way back up to the lead, but it started to sprinkle rain with just 2 laps to go. The decision was made to pull all the cars off the track. Shortly after that, they sent them back out to resume racing. This was nerve-wracking as now Dillon would be trying to hold onto the lead with dirty tires. Fortunately, he was able to hang for those last few laps to take the win!

In Lt 160, Dillon started 5th. He looked pretty good and managed to make his way up to 3rd at one point, but he’s still not quite used to racing 3 cars yet, so you could tell that his arms started getting tired close to the end. He ended up finishing 5th.

6/24/2017 (NCQMA): In Jr Honda, Dillon qualified 2nd. In Jr Animal, he qualified 4th and in Lt 160 he also qualified 4th. They inverted the top 2 drivers, which put him starting on the pole for the Jr Honda cup race. Dillon held the lead for about the first half of the race, but unfortunately he and another car got together, which meant they had to go to the rear. He was able to make it back up to 4th, finishing just shy of getting a cup.

 In Jr Animal, Dillon started 4th. He made it up to third when he was able to take advantage of the top 2 cars getting together and took the lead. We were so excited that he got the win!

 In Lt 160, he started 4th and ended up in a very exciting flip when he spun out and had so much momentum that it carried him on over. He was able to continue the race, but had to come off the track when two other cars wrecked in front of him and he had nowhere to go. He went back out and ended up finishing 5th.

2017 Dixie Shootout #5 & #6 - MCQMRA

6/17 (MCQMRA): For day 1 of our Dixie Shootout regional double header in Nashville, TN, Dillon qualified 2nd in Jr Animal and 4th in Jr Honda. They inverted the top 3, so he started in those positions.

In Dillon's Jr Animal race, he started 2nd and took the lead a few laps in. He held it most of the race, but started swapping the lead back and forth with another car at the end. The cars got together coming out of turn 4 to the checkers and ended up stopping. I think that put him finishing 6th. It was a disappointing ending to an otherwise good race.

Unfortunately our Jr Honda race didn't go like we wanted either. Dillon started 4th, but the whole field got jumbled together on the start and he ended up falling back to almost the trail. After that, he worked his way back up to 5th, but that was as far as he was able to go.

6/18/2017 (MCQMRA): For day #2 of our Dixie Shootout race at Nashville, Dillon qualified 2nd in Jr Animal and 6th in an extremely tight Jr Honda field. Unfortunately, immediately after they pushed the Jr Animals out on the track, it started raining and the races were called soon after that.

2017 Dixie Shootout #3 & #4 - HQMA

5/27 (HQMA): This was day 1 of our Dixie Shootout regional double header at HQMA in Huntsville, AL. We started out the morning realizing we had forgotten all of our safety gear (except our suit and helmet) at home. Thankfully our racing family stepped in and we were able to borrow enough equipment to get us through the weekend. A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped us out! In Jr Animal, Dillon ran just a few laps in qualifying before hitting the wall, ending his qualifying run. He started 7th in the feature and ended up finishing 4th. In Jr Honda, Dillon qualified and started 3rd. He took the lead just a few laps in and held it for most the race. With just 10 laps to go, a car that Dillon was lapping turned down into Dillon and wrecked him. Since we started racing, USAC has had a rule in place that if you were wrecked by a car you were lapping, you would get your spot back. For whatever reason, they took out that rule this year, so Dillon had to go from the lead to the tail, which was incredibly disappointing. He didn't give up and raced his way back up through the field. He had made it up to 4th when the 2nd place car spun out the leader coming to the checkered flag, which put him finishing 2nd. It was one of the craziest races I have seen in a long time.

5/28 (HQMA): On Sunday 5/28, we started all over again for race #4 of Dixie Shootout regional series (day 2 of our double header at HQMA). In Jr Animal, Dillon qualified 4th. They inverted the top 5, so that put him starting 2nd in the race. He got together with another car just a few laps in and had to go to the back. After that, he slowly made his way towards the front in a caution filled race, finishing 4th. In Jr Honda, Dillon qualified 2nd and started 4th with the invert. At the beginning of the race, he had to come off the track because the switch in his car went out, which meant he had to restart at the tail of an 11 car field with dirty tires. At that point, it seemed like there was no way he'd be able to pull off a good finish, but I am so proud that he didn't give up. Between passing and other cars wrecking and going to the back, he worked his way through the field until he was in the lead. It was an awesome moment to see Ron hand him that checkered flag and to watch him take his victory lap. This was Dillon's first Jr Honda win. After being just 10 laps away from winning a rocket trophy Saturday and getting wrecked, the win in this race on Sunday really felt like it turned our weekend around. We could not be more proud of our driver! These are the moments that make all the hard work and time spent worthwhile.

2017 May Race Recaps

5/13(NCQMA): We did heat races instead of qualifying at NCQMA. In his Jr Honda heat, Dillon started 5^th and drove to the front, finishing 1^st! That put him starting on the pole for the Jr Honda feature. In the Jr Animal heat race, Dillon started 1^st and led until about halfway, but got together with another car and had to go to the back. He ended up making his way back up to 4^th before the race ended. That put him starting 4^th in the feature. In the Jr Honda race, Dillon started on the pole but fell back to second on an early restart. He went for the lead on the last lap, but he and the leader got together, almost stalling the cars. He managed to stay in the gas enough to make it around to the finish line, finishing 2nd. Dillon started 4th in the Jr Animal race. Early in the race, he bumped the wall and it knocked off his chain. After coming off the track, he had to restart in the back of the field. He raced his way back up to finish 3rd!
5/20(NCQMA): This was our 5th race of the year at NCQMA. In Jr Honda, Dillon qualified 4th. In the race he ended up finishing 3rd. In Jr Animal, we had a cup race, which for some reason we never have any luck with, and that unfortunately didn't change this week. His chain came off in qualifying, which resulted in a no time, and that put him starting 6th at the back of the field. In the race, his chain came off again and he ended up finishing 4th. In Lt 160, Dillon qualified 6th. This was his first time racing this car and he went out to try to hold his own with some of the best of the best. He really exceeded our expectations! He did great, stayed on the lead lap, stayed out of trouble and ended up finishing 5th. He made some good passes in all 3 of his races and we are so proud of him! He said his arms are still sore today, but he had a lot of fun.

2017 Dixie Shootout Race #2 - MAQMA

5/6(MAQMA): Dillon qualified 2nd in Jr Animal and 5th in Jr Honda for our 2nd Dixie Shootout regional race. There was no invert, so he started in those positions. He finished 3^rd in both Jr Honda and Jr Animal.>

2017 Dixie Shootout Race #1 - NGQMA

4/8 (NGQMA): This was our first Dixie Shootout regional race of the year. Dillon got fast time in Jr Animal. He qualified 6^th in Jr Honda. Unfortunately, our results for the weekend weren't what we were hoping for. The dice roll was a 5, but with only 4 Jr Animals, the invert ended up putting us starting 4th instead of 5th. At the start of the race, Dillon looked fast, but his front oil cap came off and he began leaking oil. This meant that we weren't allowed to continue in the race, so that ended with a 4th. In Jr Honda, Dillon started 6th and was fast, but got sent to the back after being involved in a wreck. He was able to pass his way back up to 6th, but the laps ran out before he could do anymore.

2017 April Race Recaps

4/1 (NCQMA): Dillon got fast time in Jr Honda. Qualified 3^rd in Jr Animal. They inverted the top 2 qualifiers for the feature races. With the invert, Dillon started 2nd in the Jr Honda feature, but the #1 car had to come off the track during warm ups, so that moved him back to the pole. Another car was able to get around Dillon in the first few laps, but Dillon got a little too aggressive trying to get back to the front and ended up spinning him out. This sent Dillon to the back of the field. He was able to make his way back up to 5th, but ran out of time before he could get any further. In Jr Animal, he started 3^rd and finished 2^nd in a caution free race.
We also had our track Easter egg hunt which was lots of fun for all the kids! 4/29 (NCQMA): Dillon qualified 2nd in both Jr Honda and Jr Animal. In Jr Honda, Dillon started 2nd, but his tail cone came off on the first lap when he got together with another car. Unfortunately, this meant he had to come off the track and restart in the back. He managed to make his way back up to 5th in a race that went caution free after that. In Jr Animal, Dillon started 2nd but had his chain come off just a few laps in. He had to come off the track for repairs and then restart at the back. He raced his way back up to 2nd but didn't have enough laps to catch the leader.

2017 Reveal

Our "big reveal" was a little late this year as we were trying to get 3 cars ready instead of just 2. This year, Dillon will be racing in the Jr Honda, Jr Animal and Lt 160 classes. The blue car is our Jr Honda, red is our Jr Animal and orange is our Lt 160. It's going to be an exciting, and BUSY, year!

Once again, War Ink Graphics did a fantastic job on our stickers for the cars. Since we were doing an extra car, we decided to go with a simpler design that was easier and quicker to apply instead of the full car wraps that we have done in the past. War Ink worked with us to make our description of what we wanted an even better reality than what we had been picturing! The cars look great and really stand out on the track.

This year we worked with Tri Star Racewear to get a new custom driving suit as Dillon shot up in height and outgrew his old one. They were wonderful to work with, making a truly custom suit that is exactly what we wanted and fits like a glove. Their suits are made in the USA, right here in the Carolinas!

Our cars are Stanley Bulldogs from Robbie Stanley Racing. We have loved working with Ron and Rita over the years. The best feeling after a race is seeing Rita heading your way to get a picture, since that means you got the win!
As in all our years of racing before, we are once again powered by Flash Products engines. Chris and Kelly are wonderful to work with, support us whenever needed, and have become friends in addition to vendors. We are happy to be part of the "Flash Empire!"

2017 March Race Recaps

3/18 (NCQMA): Dillon got fast time in Jr Animal. In Jr Honda, he qualified 6th and finished 5th. In Jr Animal, he started on the pole and led the race from flag to flag to take the win, holding off Collin Mitchell to keep the lead.

2016 NCQMA Banquet

On January 7th, 2017, we attended the annual NCQMA awards banquet at Great Wolf Lodge in Concord, NC.

Dillon finished out the 2016 season 5th overall in Jr Honda points and 4th in Jr Animal points. We are so proud of him and how much he learned and grew over the course of the season.

Ron and I also received the prestigious Marion Lytle award for our work for and dedication to the club. It was a wonderful day spent celebrating with our racing family.