2007 World of Outlaws Preview: Dion Hindi
1/26/2007 -
Most people would not look forward to driving 1,756 miles across the country in the dead of winter, but for World of Outlaws driver Dion Hindi, that is just another day on the job. In fact, he has been looking forward to the trip for some time, since it signifies the start of the 2007 season.
For the native of Albuquerque, New Mexico, the journey will take him to Volusia Speedway Park in Barberville, Florida for three nights of racing as part of the 36th Annual DIRTcar Nationals Presented by Mopar Speedshop, February 9-11.
Hindi finished a career best 12th in World of Outlaws championship points last year, in his first full season back on the road in a number of years. He picked up eight Top-10 finishes along the way, and set fast time twice, in addition to winning two dashes to earn the same number of pole positions.
One of those fast time honors came for the always well-spoken driver at the famed Williams Grove Speedway on May 27 with a stellar field of cars on hand. Being one of the first drivers out for his two laps on the unique half-mile, Hindi had to endure 40 other cars taking to the track before he could celebrate his accomplishment.
While he enjoyed the time home during the off-season, especially during the holiday’s when he was able to visit with friends and family he does not get to see very often during the season, as well as working in his own shop, Hindi is anxious to hit the track again in the Sunshine State.
“We’re ready to get back racing,” said Hindi. “We’ve been home for a couple months, but we’re racers and we want to be at the race track.”
After having a full season on the road to re-adapt himself to the always changing world of sprint car racing, Hindi feels confident he and his team are ready to embark on the nearly 90-race schedule this year.
“We’re bettered prepared after this off-season than we were last year,” he commented. “Last year going in I kind of knew what we were up against. My fears were realized in the middle of the year when we got behind on our cars and parts and everything else. This year we’re a little bit better prepared than we were last year.”
Hindi is one of the most hands on drivers in the pit area, and can be found making adjustments on his car from the second he unloads it from the trailer until the final checkered flag flies on a race night. While competing at many new tracks last season, the veteran driver was quick to get up to speed on most nights. He learned numerous lessons over the course of the season, and one in particular has him very poised heading into this season.
“I learned last year on the track not to over compensate,” he explained. “My problem is that I think too much sometimes. In the car sometimes I am thinking about the race car rather than driving the race car. I think a lot of that comes from the nervousness of situations you are not used to being in. Once we got used to things like starting on the pole, where the first time is a really nervous time, the second time was like, ‘OK I know what I did to screw up the first time and I’ll make sure not to do it again.’ It’s just getting more comfortable in whatever situation you are in that I have to work on.”
Leading the team this year will be Crew Chief Lester Groves, who joined Hindi towards the end of the summer last year. Hindi’s nephew Josh will also help turn the wrenches beginning at Volusia.
“Lester has been with me all winter at the shop,” said Hindi. “Josh is coming down as well and he has his CDL (commercial driver’s license), so that will take a lot of the load off of me having to drive everywhere. We’ve remodeled the trailer a little bit, and tried to make it a little more comfortable. I have confidence in the crew and hopefully they have confidence in me.”
Hindi like several other World of Outlaws competitors owns his own team, and thus not only had to put on the helmet to drive, but also the car owner’s hat and think in business terms when it comes to sizing up the competition. The expanded schedule this season has him itching to take to the track as a driver, and as a car owner it also has him excited.
“It is good to race more,” admitted Hindi. “Even from the owner’s standpoint, the more you race the less you lose if you look at it that way. You don’t get paid if you don’t race in any form. Instead of sitting somewhere for a week and racing only on the weekends, we get to race in the middle of the week. That adds a little bit of income that normally would not be there.”
Being based in Albuquerque, Hindi is not able to make it home very often during the season. Over the course of ninth months, this all adds up, but he is a racer at heart, and has learned to adapt very well. The closest he will race to home this year will be on March 2 at USA Race Park in Tucson, a scant 502 miles from home, as well as the following night at the famed Manzanita Speedway in Phoenix.
“After Florida we’ll come home for about a week and a half,” shared Hindi. “Then after we raced in Phoenix, we’ll be back home for a week and a half. Then after March we won’t see home until probably July, when we may get back for about three days. You miss the shop, you miss your family. I miss my dog. I miss my girlfriend. It does make it hard (being based in New Mexico) but that is what we choose to do, and you know going into it so you are kind of prepared.”
With over 30 cars expected to compete full-time with the World of Outlaws to start the season off, Hindi knows the competition level will be at an all-time high. At the same time, he is very philosophical when sizing up the competition.
“A race car is a race car, and it doesn’t matter what color the other ones are, you still have to beat whoever shows up that day,” Hindi stoically said. “It’s going to be difficult but the average car count last year was around 40, so it will be no different than being at a race any other time.”
After coming close to winning a couple of races last season, Hindi is very hungry to pick up his first World of Outlaws triumph, and that is his main goal heading into the season.
“We have to win some races this year,” he said. “I’m happy with a few of the things we did last year. There were three or four nights where the car was good enough to win, regardless of the competition. The equipment that we have on a nightly basis is capable of winning and equal to everyone else on the race track. Over the course of 80 or 90 races that is where the finances come in and the competition can outstretch you dollar-wise over 90 races. On a night by night basis, our car is just as good as everyone else’s car on the race track, and it is capable of winning. Now I just have to get it there.”