WILL HARBORS NO ILL-FEELINGS TOWARDS DIXON

When Larry Dixon makes his first run on Friday afternoon with Dote Racing, he will become the fourth driver in two years for the Utica, NY-based team.

Dixon follows former jet car driver Jessie Harris, who never made a run behind the wheel of the Dote Racing dragster, Doug Foley and now Hillary Will.

Will, in a podcast with John Kernan on RPM2Night, said she found out about her dismissal on Sunday. The decision to dismiss her came as a surprise.

“It was kind of a weird day,” admitted Will on the podcast, who also says she is walking away from professional racing for now. “I came back and thought everything was normal. Came back after first round. Things didn’t go the way we had planned. It was a pretty odd day. I don’t want to go into details about that. I’m pretty much going to move on.”

Even though she lost her ride to Dixon, Will apparently harbors no ill will and carries much respect for the three-time champion.

“I have to say, I am a fan of Larry and always have been,” Will said. “I remember standing in line for his autograph back in the day. The first time I raced him and beat him was a milestone in my career. He’s a great driver and I can’t blame the Dotes for putting a three-time world champion in their car. I wish him the best.”

Will qualified for all eight races Dote Racing has entered this season, reaching the semi and quarter-final rounds in Chicago and Norwalk. At the recently completed NHRA U.S. Nationals Will lost in the first round to eventual winner Tony Schumacher.

Dote Racing, in a prepared statement released on Monday, never addressed Will’s departure choosing instead to focus on Dixon joining the team.

"We are thrilled to partner with a driver of Larry's caliber for the remainder of our scheduled races," said Connie Dote, co-owner of Dote Racing. "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."

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