Welch Strikes Balance between Love of Driving, Blossoming Broadcasting Career
September 05, 2019 | By Phillip B. Wilson, Indianapolis Motor Speedway
What could be better for Dillon Welch than to return home and enjoy twice the fun at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week?
In addition to continuing his promising television broadcasting career as a pit reporter in Saturday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series Indiana 250 on NBCSN, the 25-year-old native of Carmel, Indiana, also returns to his first love of racing in the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink on Sept. 4-5 at The Dirt Track at IMS.
The son of Indianapolis native Vince Welch, a longtime local broadcaster and current commentator for FOX Sports on NASCAR, will try to qualify for the BC39 main event for a second consecutive year after finishing 25th a year ago. Dillon is driving the No. 81 Tucker/Boat Motorsports Toyota-powered entry sponsored by the 500 Festival and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. The team is co-owned by 1998 Indianapolis 500 pole winner Billy Boat.
Dillon joined NBC Sports in June 2017 and also serves as a pit reporter on NTT IndyCar Series race broadcasts in addition to contributing on Motor Racing Network radio. But getting behind the wheel of that race car inspires him just as much, well, even more.
“It’s been in my blood forever. I love it,” Welch said Wednesday.
“There is no greater thrill for me than to drive a race car. I don’t think that will ever change. But there are certainly joys and thrills that come with broadcasting, too, and especially for me being relatively young in my broadcasting career, I’m still kind of making my way up through the ranks in that field, too.”
Even before he knew what his father did for a living, Welch was obsessed and infatuated with race cars, collecting Hot Wheels and Matchbox models as a kid. He was given his first quarter-midget at age 7. He attended his first Indianapolis 500 in 2001, when Team Penske’s Helio Castroneves won.
His steady progression in racing included a three-year stint in the USAC Kenyon Midget series, in which he won the 2009 championship after previously being named Rookie of the Year and Most Improved Driver.
One of his more impressive accomplishments was finishing seventh out of about 350 entrants in the prestigious Chili Bowl in January 2019.
“I’m a race car driver at heart,” he said. “That’s what I wanted to do from the time I could realize what I wanted to do for a career. Things change, and you realize that maybe it doesn’t work out, you find other ways to be involved in the sport, and that’s why I turned to broadcasting. It still gave me an outlet to be involved in racing. For that, I’m thankful.”
Although he’s been racing more this season, he concedes his competitors have the edge of driving full time whereas Welch is making about 10 starts.
“I don’t race and expect to win necessarily, but I put a lot of pressure on myself to do what I’m capable of doing,” he said. “It is a unique situation. Having experience in the car helps me as a broadcaster.”
He’s grateful to have a father who has given him such helpful advice in broadcasting, how to work race weekends, how to network and make connections.
So what’s he better at? Racing or announcing?
“Probably announcer,” he said. “Well, I think I’m an OK driver. That’s what I like about it, even though I’m broadcasting for NASCAR and INDYCAR, I’ve never driven either of those cars. Just being a race car driver and having the racer mentality, you maybe look at things differently or understand why guys do things they do a little better than the average broadcaster.”
His car broke last year in the BC39 main event, so he’s hopeful for a stronger showing the second time around.
“The team I’m with this year, my teammate and co-car owner Chad Boat finished second in this race last year,” he said. “The cars are great; obviously they get around here really well. I try not to put too many expectations or too much pressure on it or myself, but I certainly know that if I’m on my game, we have no excuses why we shouldn’t be able to run up front. We know the car is going to be good, so it’s up to me.
“I certainly understand that the deck is kind of stacked against me because of my circumstances. We just go out and try to do the best we can every race. That’s really all I can do, go out there and learn every race and do what I can do and try to keep applying that to the next time I’m on track.”
Welch first had the pleasure of working on the same broadcasting team with his father in June 2018 in the ARCA Racing Series’ PapaNicholas Coffee 150 at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in Madison, Illinois. Vince was lead announcer in the booth while Dillon worked the pits.
They made history when they teamed up again for ESPN in May’s Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge as the first father-son broadcasting duo at "The Greatest Spectacle in Racing."
But for now, tonight’s homecoming is all about driving. His broadcasting microphone will be there come Saturday.
“You’re driving a race car,” Dillon said. “What’s not to enjoy and love about that?”
Tickets for the Driven2SaveLives BC39 Powered by NOS Energy Drink are on sale at www.ims.com, along with tickets for the Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line on Sunday, Sept. 8 and the Indiana 250 and FGL Fest on Saturday, Sept. 7.
Public gates will open at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5 for the second and final night of BC39 action. Cars will be on track for hot laps at 5 p.m., with qualifying races at 6 p.m. Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. and followed by the main feature events, starting with multiple D-Mains and C-Mains, the semi-feature and the 39-lap main event.