Larry Dixon to drive for Dote Racing; by Erica Ortiz

September 10, 2012   ·   0 Comments

Dote Racing announced today that 3-time world champion Larry Dixon will take over driver duties in the family’s top fuel dragster at three of the remaining NHRA Full Throttle events this season, effective immediately with his first scheduled appearance at the upcoming 5th Annual O’Reilly Auto Part NHRA Nationals in Charlotte, NC’s zMAX Dragway.

Dixon will replace Hillary Will in the driver’s seat, an announcement that came as a big surprise following the completion of the US Nationals.   The decision came as a complete surprise to Will, who was blindsided by the news Sunday after she was eliminated from the race.   In a subsequent interview with RPM2Night.com, a seemingly frustrated Hillary stated that she is taking a step back from racing, reflecting that she wasn’t “cut-throat enough” for the sport, and that she was done with professional racing to pursue other avenues.

Connie Dote, co-owner of Dote Racing told NHRA of the announcement:  “We are thrilled to partner with a driver of Larry’s caliber for the remainder of our scheduled races. Larry is one of the best drivers of all time, and we couldn’t be more excited to combine his talents with our car’s improving performance.”

Second on the all-time win list at 62 Top Fuel victories, his return with Dote Racing will mark the first time Dixon competes since his departure from Al-Anabi Racing after the 2011 season.   In addition to Charlotte, Larry will also pilot the Dote dragster in St. Louis and Reading.   Dixon has spent most of 2011 searching for sponsorship to field his own team.

“We’ve gone rounds at the last two races, and with the car’s increasing performance, I’m interested to hear what kind of feedback Larry can give us,” Dote Racing crew chief, Doug Kuch said. “We are all looking forward to having him behind the wheel as we return to Charlotte.”

The Dote Racing team has run a limited schedule in 2012, attending 8 races with Hillary in the driver’s position.  They have gained ground on their performances, with noticeable improvements and a few round wins in the most recent races.

EVENTS	QUALIFYING	ELIMINATIONS
Gainesville	#9;   3.847 @ 312.50	Defeated Rd 1:   3.915 @ 308.17 (.085) by S. Massey 3.805 @ 321.19 (.058)
Charlotte	#11;  3.878 @ 309.20	Defeated Rd 1:  3.869 @ 308.78 (.069) by A. Brown/S. Massey (4wide)
Atlanta	#11;  3.885 @ 301.74	Defeated Rd 1:  3.963 @ 299.86 (.081) by B. Bernstein 3.842 @ 320.51 (.089)
Topeka	#15;  3.903  @ 301.33	Defeated Rd 1: 3.932 @ 298.27 (.090) by S. Torrence 3.776 @ 326.79
Bristol	#5;   3.837 @ 308.35	Defeated Rd 1: 5.362 @ 165.94  (.095) by B. Litton 4.692 @ 164.34 (.121)
Chicago	#9;   3.828 @ 312.71	Won Rd 1:  3.852 @ 313.58 (.090) vs. al Balooshi 3.857 @ 316.30 (.119) Won Rd 2:  3.858 @ 311.05 (.085)  vs. T. Zizzo Defeated Rd 3: 7.780 (.063) by S. Torrence 3.817 @ 319.37 (.058)
Norwalk	#12;  3.968 @ 298.40	Won Rd 1:  3.870 @ 310.13 (.105) vs. C. Millican 3.971 @ 308.99 Defeated Rd 2:  9.323 @  (.112)   by T. Schumacher 3.971 @ 308.99
Indianapolis	#13;  3.860 @ 308.92	Defeated Rd 1: 3.874 @ 309.90 (.110)  by T. Schumacher 3.814 @ 319.90