On 25 October, The Checkered Flag caught up with Dylan Parsons to speak about his Championship Off-Highway Professional SPEC-winning marketing campaign, the expansion of the category, and the 2025 season.
The total transcript of the interview is accessible under. Some textual content has been altered from the precise dialogue to enhance readability.
An article on the interview could be learn right here.
Transcript
TCF: You went from not successful any races your rookie season in Professional SPEC to successful 5 occasions this 12 months and the championship. Final time, you instructed me that 2023 was going to be extra of like a studying 12 months for everybody, so by comparability, what was your mindset going into 2024?
DP: To win races like that was positively the mindset. In direction of the tip of the 12 months, we began podiuming in ’23 after which obtained Rookie of the 12 months. We have been simply increase momentum and simply not making an attempt to wreck the truck. Starting of the season, I got here in, I examined twice earlier than the season and I’m like, “We have been prepared coming into the primary race to run with these guys,” and we received the primary race of the 12 months. We have been able to go.
TCF: How a lot of a confidence booster was it to win the season opener?
DP: Oh, that was large. Lena, I obtained a whole lot and a whole lot of laps on Lena. It’s the closest observe to us and to go check there, we examined there a number of occasions. Going there and successful, it’s not my favourite observe of all of them, however we had aggressive lap occasions and we confirmed up and knew we have been able to go. Successful the primary race, it sort of didn’t set in all weekend. We went first and second over the weekend and we have been like, “Okay, we all know we will run with these guys. We knew we will run with them final 12 months. We simply should execute and be there when we’ve to be.”
TCF: Bark River was sort of an attention-grabbing weekend since you ran three races due to the Crandon make-up, and naturally you received two of three and completed second within the different. How did it really feel to run so nicely on what was such a busy weekend?
DP: I really raced a buggy on Friday at Bark River too, so it was wild. I knew coming into the weekend that it was going to be tremendous busy. I really obtained an additional man to return with simply because I’m like, “We’ve three days to show this truck round and if we’ve any issues, we’re going to be busting our butts.” However Bark River might be my favourite observe. Successful on Friday, it simply escalated. We had a flat tyre on Saturday and nonetheless battled again to get second. I feel the truck was battle examined Saturday like we had no physique left. Positively, successful at Bark River that weekend was as best-case situation as you might get all through that weekend, after which we took the Champ factors lead at Bark River.
I podiumed each days at Bark River final 12 months within the truck too, and I’ve received a number of occasions within the buggy and I feel I podiumed in side-by-side there a couple of occasions too. So positively, Bark River has been good to me. [chuckles]
TCF: So would you say that whenever you took the factors lead at Bark River, or any time earlier than that, the place you began to understand your possibilities of successful the championship have been lots higher than you might need anticipated?
DP: We talked about it somewhat bit. I’m like, “I’m simply frightened about racing race by race, like if that occurs, it occurs.” We sort of talked about it at Lena, we have been getting shut. Nick (Visser) was working good, however he was having points the place he’d simply crash out however he beat me in qualifying each time. He was at all times quick, he was simply having tremendous points with the truck breaking or crashing. I wasn’t frightened about any of that. I simply wished to take every race one after the other and fear about successful that race or podiuming that race.
I imply, we podiumed each race this 12 months besides someday at Antigo. We had a flat tyre that day, like simply from some contact; the flat tyre, some contact, I feel I had a pair, however it was by no means a failure. It was at all times, we obtained hit.
TCF: I keep in mind a few occasions the place you and (Chris) Van Den Elzen and Visser and a few different guys obtained into it, like I feel at ERX you and Van Den Elzen obtained collectively. Have been there any exhausting emotions between you and anybody else or did you progress on from it will definitely since you’re all associates?
DP: Effectively, that one I used to be fairly upset about. We talked the following day, we have been good, it simply… It was escalating somewhat bit there. […] He’s tremendous quick however he was beginning to have issues at ERX. We crashed at ERX, after which it simply escalated from there once more. We had sat on the rostrum, we obtained over it after which like him and I obtained collectively once more.
I had been doing it somewhat bit at Bark River too. We bumped on that final lap there and I made an aggressive cross for the win, however you’re going for the win that late within the season for factors, if the opening was there, you needed to go for it.
TCF: There have been another guys who gave you some good competitors although they weren’t full-timers like Chris Parrish and Wyatt Miller. What was it like racing with these guys?
DP: Parrish was tremendous quick. He got here from Components 4 and stuff like that and it will have been attention-grabbing to see him the entire season, however clearly (Ryan) Beat had totally different plans, like with Wyatt coming in and that was the plan. Wyatt was tremendous quick. I feel he’s racing that truck once more subsequent 12 months and he’s going to be tremendous quick. Him coming into this sport is placing extra eyes on the game due to his household as an Earnhardt and all that as a 12 12 months previous. There’s a couple of younger youngsters and it’s sort of like, “Effectively, you bought to race them the identical as everybody else, however you bought to do not forget that they’re 12.”
However yeah, having them are available is just going to make our sponsors get extra publicity. Bass Professional Retailers goes to submit issues about that and our truck’s in the identical image or JR Motorsports or no matter. It could possibly put extra eyes on brief course with him coming in, identical to again within the 90s, nobody actually knew Jimmie Johnson raced brief course. That’s the place he got here from, and he went and did what he did in NASCAR for all these years. There’s the crossover of the stepping stones and hopefully Wyatt goes to that in some unspecified time in the future and he can say he raced brief course to begin to develop himself into what he’s going to do.
TCF: Professional SPEC’s been rising and getting extra aggressive over these previous few seasons from 4 vans in 12 months One. What are your ideas on the way it’s grown?
DP: I feel we had ten vans this 12 months. The primary race was sort of like, “The place is everybody?” There have been some vans that didn’t race this 12 months and there’s vans that bought already. Chad Rayford who received the factors final 12 months, good associates with him, I used to be pushing hammers to purchase that truck since Snocross season and getting that truck again on the observe (with Avery Hemmer). She was tremendous quick at Crandon. Like I really went over and helped them check earlier than Crandon and didn’t even take my truck. I simply went over there and noticed for her. They’re like, “You suppose she’s prepared?” Yeah.
[…]
Professional SPEC was rising. I feel we had 11 vans at Fall Crandon and undecided if there’s any extra being constructed in the mean time. There’s a pair on the market nonetheless, however I had plenty of questions after Fall Crandon on some. I do know one side-by-side man purchased a Professional Lite, however he wasn’t certain what he’s going to do with it but. It’s a carb Professional Lite and I feel he’s going to race that subsequent 12 months in Professional Lite and see how that goes.
The Impulse Podcast would at all times say we have been the most effective race to look at like each race. We’d placed on a present each race and there have been individuals coming as much as me on the parade and Lena, at Crandon, like, “You guys are placing on an amazing present. All these things.”
That’s actually cool to know that we’re placing on simply nearly as good a present as Professional 2, Professional 4, all the pieces else and we’re not the extent they’re.
TCF: Clearly, Professional 2 and Professional 4 are the massive fish within the sequence, however do you are feeling Professional SPEC, being extra of a driver sequence, goes to get much more common?
DP: Hopefully. Professional SPEC, I feel the most important drawback is there’s all these Professional Lites that guys are seeing on the market for thus low-cost. You get to clarify to them like, “How a lot time’s on all that stuff? Like is all of it new?” Then you definitely see a Professional SPEC that’s on the market, I do know there’s two of them on the market they usually’re priced approach increased than a Professional Lite, however these engines have zero time on them. They’re model new, they’re each model new gone-through vans.
I’m on my second season on an engine and I haven’t carried out something with it; upkeep, that’s all we’ve carried out. It’s been confirmed that you might take a inventory engine and race. We bounce them off the rev limiter and everybody is aware of that, however no failures and that engine’s been nice versus a few of these increased lessons. They’re rebuilding engines midway via the season and Professional Lites are shopping for engines and delivery them off and getting them rebuilt immediately. It’s a giant expense the place this engine, yeah, it’s $9000 with all electronics, however it’ll run. Wiring harness all the best way out to the alternator, you hook gas to it and it’ll run.
My opinion is that they’re spending greater than that to rebuild them. You simply purchase a brand new one and put it in whenever you suppose the time is that you simply blow it up or it’s wore out or no matter, however I’m going to do some leakdown on mine and stuff like that this winter and see the place we’re at. It feels stronger now than it did final season, I’ve most likely been driving somewhat bit however it doesn’t appear to be so.
TCF: How huge of a job have guys like Mike Vanden Heuvel and Matt Gerald had in constructing and growing the truck all year long?
DP: Large. Mikey, I’m going up there perhaps as soon as every week and go to lunch with them or no matter, simply capturing concepts off one another. We did a pair issues this summer season all year long and made the truck sooner all year long. There have been just a few stepping stones of stuff we wished to do and we did it earlier than Bark River, we did a pair adjustments and earlier than spring Crandon and it was large. We positively felt the pace come from the stuff we did within the truck.
TCF: How huge was it to have a sponsor like Toys for Vans, particularly since they have been a full-season sponsor this 12 months?
DP: Toys for Vans has been superior. Invoice (Ciuplinski) and TJ (Larson), they got here to the races this 12 months, the proprietor and the GM of all of the shops, they usually each got here to a race this 12 months. It was tremendous cool. We’re sort of native and we see Toys for Vans, they’ve a pair shops proper by us, however most individuals don’t realise that they’ve like thirty shops throughout the nation. They purchased a pair 4 Wheel Elements they usually’re sort of the identical factor as a 4 Wheel Elements. A few of their numbers on gross sales, I by no means would have even realised that they promote a lot of Bilstein and CURT Hitches and issues like that. They’re an enormous provider for lots of these merchandise.
TCF: Final 12 months, you instructed me you anticipated an enormous studying curve going from a side-by-side to a truck. How huge did it really find yourself being?
DP: I’m lastly to the purpose the place I really feel I can drive it the identical approach because the buggy. It’s simply ‘soar in and drive,’ and it’s identical to you drove it like that. It was the identical factor leaping within the buggy the primary time: the primary two years, I wrecked plenty of stuff and stuff like that. That was the purpose with the truck: the components have been far more costly, it is advisable to not wreck issues. That’s why I used to be like, “I needed to exit and show myself that I can drive it.”
Now, I can soar in that factor and drive it nevertheless I need and it’s tremendous snug. That was positively a studying curve. Final 12 months, I used to be continually chasing, it felt like traction, simply making an attempt to not spin out in traction. This 12 months, I might throw the truck wherever I wished to and I knew what it was going to do. I feel the Kenda tyres helped lots on that. Our setup labored nicely, like we constructed the vans all on the identical time, Mikey had been working with Professional Lites which have been working Kendas for years now.
Ours and Chad Rayford’s setups have been actual shut final 12 months. I knew that he was successful, that he’s obtained the identical setup I do, it’s simply the sort of tyres I feel made our truck work lots higher than the place we have been at earlier than.
TCF: On the finish of the season, you received at Crandon. You stated final 12 months it was enjoyable, however it’s additionally extraordinarily disturbing due to all of the hype. How did it really feel to lastly win there, particularly on Labour Day weekend?
DP: I didn’t win the massive day however Saturday was nonetheless cool, positively. We got here into the weekend and we needed to begin the race, we needed to qualify inside a pair positions of Nick. He certified first and I obtained second, so I simply needed to begin and I received the championship. It was simply, ‘Okay let’s go race. We don’t have to fret about successful the championship, any of that.’
The excessive all weekend was up there. You’ll be able to’t even clarify that top. The weekend was superior. Saturday, it was a dream come true and it was fairly cool.
Successful at Crandon, I received my first race there in buggy. Successful the ring, that will have been cool to win on Sunday. However successful the championship, we did what we might do. We obtained taken out on Sunday on the primary lap and that was our solely DNF for the 12 months; that was my selection as a result of we got here into the pits and the tyre was all wrapped up. I couldn’t have received two laps down, however you don’t receives a commission for fourth within the Pink Bull Cup.
TCF: What are your plans for subsequent 12 months? Are you going to defend your Professional SPEC title or do you intend on making an attempt out another lessons?
DP: That’s the plan. We purchased a semi a pair weeks in the past in order that’s going to assist out with the programme. I feel I took 5 trailers to Fall Crandon, simply between campers and further trailers and the UTV and components. All the pieces shall be all going in a single trailer, that’s going to be tremendous good, and simply defend the Professional SPEC title. We obtained a couple of different corporations coming onboard for subsequent 12 months that we’re understanding some last particulars. That’ll assist in like, simply making an attempt to make the truck higher.
There’s nonetheless room for enchancment on making the setup higher and truck higher and there’s a couple of issues I need to change, however simply do the identical factor once more. Hopefully, so long as issues go nicely, we’re going to go to the Mint in March for that brief course race if the Professional SPEC class goes there. There was a bunch chat going round that the majority of us wished to go and it feels like Beat needs to go, so so long as we get the funds for that, we’re going to go there.
I imagine Champ’s going to submit their schedule, I heard November 1st or third subsequent week or two weeks. They’ve many of the schedule out, however there’s nonetheless one race up within the air on the finish of the season. I’m undecided the place that’s going to be but, however we heard it was probably west.
Tremendous pumped to go to Wheatland in Might. I’ve been there as soon as with the MidAmerica UTV sequence, however I simply went and helped out Colin (Kernz) and that was the primary time ever being there. That was the time when the Professional Lites ran there and my truck wasn’t fairly carried out and I’m like, “I’m not taking place there for that first time driving it” sort of factor. However that observe appears superior, like that huge soar within the again and the over/beneath, there’s no observe like that round right here. I’m tremendous pumped to go there. That needs to be actually enjoyable.
TCF: I feel Champ can be including a race in South Dakota, so what are your ideas on that if it occurs?
DP: That one, I’m undecided what’s up. It’s South Dakota or additional west. There’s sort of some rumbling of what’s taking place there and rumours and stuff like that. I imply, South Dakota could be cool. We race Snocross there and that city Deadwood is an excellent cool city. All the pieces’s proper there and supposedly the observe was going to be near city.
However I heard rumours there have been some points with permits or one thing like that. I’m undecided the place they put the observe there. It’s not mountainous, however it’s fairly hilly proper there. There’s cliffs and stuff like that. However we’ll see. I imply, hopefully we go there, it’s somewhat nearer than California, however there’s rumours of Arizona or California. I’m undecided but although. We’ll see.
TCF: To play on the Snocross factor, how totally different or related is engaged on a Snocross programme in comparison with a brief course?
DP: It’s plenty of the identical factor and plenty of the stuff I realized from my programme, I’ve realized from Snocross and stuff and forwards and backwards. You’re coping with the identical individuals; Champ runs Snocross additionally, so all of the officiating, most of them you’re coping with the identical individuals and stuff like that. I’m only a wrench for one of many groups. Final 12 months, I labored with Nick Lorenz and we obtained second in Professional Lite factors. That was plenty of enjoyable and it’s a superb filler that I can work for a crew like that after which nonetheless do my programme in the summertime. Tremendous pumped for that. You get to see the nation too. I went to Canada final 12 months, Deadwood. It’s tremendous cool.
However yeah, like the identical factor. You prep the sleds on the store, you race someday and then you definitely take all of it aside and redo it and put it again collectively for the following day. It’s the identical mindset with a snowmobile as you do with the truck, prefer it’s, be sure you get one probability to go on the observe and you bought to ensure all the pieces’s good.
TCF: Would you ever see your self really racing in snocross or are your palms already full as it’s?
DP: I did somewhat bit. I did somewhat bit after I was youthful and I raced cross-country snowmobiles for a short time after which I did a couple of regional snocross races, however I had extra enjoyable wrenching on snowmobiles and that sort of factor. I’m too previous to race now. All these guys are fairly younger.
TCF: Yeah, I get it.
Earlier than we wrap this up, is there anything you’d like so as to add?
DP: I’m undecided. [laughs]
No, I’m simply tremendous pumped on the championship. Between Matt and I, that was the purpose. That’s at all times the purpose is to win the championship. I feel successful that, we’ve simply obtained to continue to grow on it and defend it subsequent 12 months. Simply continue to grow at it, like I’m undecided. The longer term is limitless. It’s simply, how far can we go?
