A
new year to most commences when the calendar flips from December to
January. In racing the new year begins the day after the final race of
the season. For the Big Game Treestands #7 team this viewpoint was
instilled in early November as the team spent the next few months at the
Princeton, MN shop preparing for 2012. After accruing numerous hours
doing countless tasks the hauler has at last been loaded and the team is
heading south for warmer temperatures in Florida as anticipation builds
for the World of Outlaws season that kicks off at the 41st Annual UNOH
DIRTcar Nationals. With a new season come new expectations, new
excitement, and new challenges. Prior to leaving for five straight
nights of competition at Volusia Speedway Park beginning on Wednesday,
'The Crowd Pleaser' shared some thoughts about the upcoming season.
RV: You finished 2011 tied for the most wins and nearly won a hand-full of others, which win did you enjoy the most? CD:
It would be one of three. The final night of Grand Forks to sweep the
weekend, the Ironman 55 given the temperatures and humidity along with
55 laps was the most grueling race I've ever been in, or the Arnold
Motor Supply Shootout that we promote in Spencer. They all were great
wins for our team and even though the Ironman 55 is a big race on the
Outlaws tour I would have to say Grand Forks. Winning that race on the
last lap, last corner, after dropping back to sixth place at one point
was the win I enjoyed the most. We had family and friends there along
with some great fans and I enjoyed watching my daughter and her friend
along with my niece having fun and carrying the trophy back to our
transporter.
RV: The number of races this season has grown compared to last year, how important is it to have a few more weekday events? CD:
We lost quite a few shows to rain starting last year, that hurts
financially. To have more races will be good as long as Mother Nature
cooperates and we're not traveling as many miles out of the way to get
to some events. Getting a schedule together that flows well
logistically isn't easy but I think the Outlaws have done a pretty good
job with the 2012 schedule.
RV: The schedule features a
'Six Pack' of events in May in the Northeast including a return to
Lincoln Speedway, how tough will these races be against the PA Posse? CD:
The racing is always tough in PA but I enjoy racing out East. I have
been to Lincoln a couple times and it seems like a racy track and a nice
facility.
RV: You raced less this year in Australia, how much did you enjoy the extra time with family? CD:
We were there for a month last year and that's a long time to be away
from my kids. I didn't want to be gone that long this year since I
enjoy spending time with my kids, family, and friends in the offseason.
We enjoy racing in Australia and New Zealand during the offseason but
the amount of time Julie and I go over there changes from year to year.
We enjoy snowmobiling, hunting, and spending time together with family
and friends over the holidays and offseason when we can.
RV: How tough is it to open the season with five straight nights against a strong field of cars? CD:
Florida brings a lot of great teams from all over and is one of the
most competitive arenas we race in all year. I like racing Volusia
because they work hard to give us a good track every night and it's
great to start the season with five nights in a row at the same track.
We know we should have won a few races there last year after leading 51
laps in the three Outlaw shows and not winning. We have worked hard to
prepare for the start of the season and I feel we are ready and hope our
luck is better there this year.
RV: What are you most looking forward to this year? CD:
We have a strong race team and even though we won nine races last year
we know we should have won more. DJ Lindsey, my son Luke, and everyone
involved with our team worked hard this offseason. We are focused on
bettering ourselves for 2012. We have great sponsors starting with Big
Game Treestands, Aggressive Hydraulics, and Eaton's Aeroquip Performance
Products. Starting with myself, we all want to go out and do a better
job this year, win races, and keep ourselves in the hunt for the
championship. The people who support us deserve that. We know what
we're capable of and that we fell short of some goals last year. We are
going to work hard to exceed our goals this year for not only our
sponsors and manufacturers but also our fans!
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