INDIANAPOLIS – The 500 Festival and Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will support Dillon Welch during the upcoming BC39 USAC NOS Energy Drink National Midget Series event at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Sept. 4-5.
Through the partnership with the 500 Festival and DRR, the No. 81 Tucker-Boat Motorsports Toyota-powered midget car will feature branding of the 500 Festival’s mini-mini kids’ run that will take place Oct. 5, at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The mini-mini provides a unique opportunity for kids ages 5-12 to run or walk in one of four different race distances that take place at the world-famous Yard of Bricks.
The mini-mini event logo and a tag line, “Kids Run Here,” will be featured on Welch’s No. 81 Tucker-Boat Motorsports Toyota-powered midget car at the BC39 USAC event. The mini-mini event logo and tag line was previously featured on both Dreyer & Reinbold Racing Indy cars for the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 presented by Gainbridge, where Sage Karam and J.R. Hildebrand also served as spokespersons and ambassadors for the mini-mini. Additionally, DRR team owner, Dennis Reinbold, served as a 500 Festival board director from 2002-2008.
Welch currently lives in Charlotte, N.C., but was born and raised in Carmel, Ind. He graduated from Ball State University where he won two regional Emmy awards and worked numerous Ball State sporting events in the production truck as well as broadcasting. Welch began racing at age seven and still continues to combine his broadcasting career and racing. Welch is a member of the NBC Sports television announcer crew for the NTT IndyCar Series, the Motor Racing Network radio announcer crew and is co-host of the popular “Rip the Fence” motorsports podcast.
Dillon competed in the inaugural BC39 midget event at IMS in 2018 where he qualified for the 39-lap main event. Earlier this year at Tulsa, Okla., Welch finished seventh in the Chili Bowl Nationals, the largest midget car racing event in the world with more than 350 entries from 33 states.
“We are excited to be a part of this great dirt track event at IMS and to partner again with DRR to promote the mini-mini where kids can finish their own race at the legendary yard of bricks on Oct. 5,” said Bob Bryant, president and CEO of the 500 Festival. “We enjoyed a great month of May with the Dreyer & Reinbold Racing team in this year’s Indy 500 and we wish Dillon the best in his racing events at the BC39 races.”
“Dreyer & Reinbold Racing is invested in the Indianapolis community. We teamed with the 500 Festival in May to promote the mini-mini with our two DRR cars in the Indy 500,” said Dennis Reinbold, DRR team owner and Indianapolis businessman. “Now, we wanted to assist Dillon in his quest to compete in the popular BC39 midget races at IMS. The BC39 event gives us the opportunity to provide awareness for programs that meaningfully engage the youth throughout the state of Indiana.”
“I am so excited to represent the 500 Festival and their outstanding mini-mini kids run,” said Welch. “Growing up in the Indianapolis area, I know the importance of the 500 Festival and what it has meant to the city of Indy and the state of Indiana. They have been an important part of the community beyond the month of May in Indianapolis for decades. It is wonderful to be associated with a great organization such as Dreyer & Reinbold Racing. I want to thank everyone involved in the 500 Festival mini-mini at IMS on Oct. 5.”