SZ: Pat Welsh with Speedzone Magazine.com. What have you been up to? You have a new gig going here with Dote Racing driving their Top Fuel dragster?

HW: Yes I'm super excited. They hired me in about September 2011. This is my first time in a car in about three years and I'm just happy to be on a team. They're really a great group of people. The Dote's are just super awesome. They're not sparing anything. They want to put us in the right stuff. They want to have the right people in place. I couldn't be more excited, I've been out of it for too long.

SZ: That's great what have you been up to the last few years?

HW: I've just been trying to make a living, honestly which hasn't been easy. I've been doing some bookkeeping. I moved back to California for financial reasons. I mean it's just been a struggle. Last year at this time I just started a new job and I was sitting behind a desk doing bookkeeping. I was thankful for the job but I was like--anytime I could I would sneak and look at drag racing results I would.

SZ: Drag racing is a very humbling sport isn't it?

HW: Yes very much so.

SZ: Are you going to be living in California?

HW: No I live in Indy. I just went back to California for a little while.

SZ: Give me some history on this team. This car is out of the east coast?

HW: Our shop is based in Monroe, Ohio but the Dote's are from Utica, New York near Syracuse. That's our headquarters. Doug Kuch--our crew chief is from Monroe, OH so we have a shop there.

SZ: What are your plans for this year?

HW: Our plan is we're going to run 11 or 12 races. We're working real hard on getting more sponsors. And if we are able to get more money--because right now the Dote's are footing the whole bill and I would really like to help them out and get some sponsors on the car. Then we'll add more races. And we're hoping to run the full season in 2013.

SZ: Are you going to run mainly east coast races?

HW: Yes, this year we're planning on going everywhere except Texas and the west coast for the western swing. I think we're going to do Topeka and probably Brainerd.

SZ: You're first race of the year then will be Gainesville?

HW: Yes.

SZ: I notice a decal on the side of the car near the cockpit of Chad Wilcox.

HW: Yes that's Chad Wilcox. He was going to be the Dote's son in law. He was like a son to Mike and Connie Dote. He had an accident on a snowmobile in 2010 and unfortunately it took his life. This team is really in his honor. Everything the Dote's are doing is for him. We honor him-- we have three decals on the car and he's on all of our uniforms. He'll never be forgotten.

SZ: What have you missed the most about being out of the sport? What was the last time you drove a Top Fuel dragster?

HW: December 2008. We raced in Australia and that was my last time. Just making these runs just now I forgot how much I love to drive. It's a good thing I forgot; maybe I must have put it out of my mind so I wouldn't be so miserable. I've missed it so so much. Just getting in the car and hitting the throttle--I can't wait to be up against somebody. I love being a part of the team and I rode with the team down here. I try to help out as much as I can. You know we're kind of a smaller team.

SZ: I see some of the same faces from last year. Are you breaking any new crew members in this week?

HW: We're not. We have some fly in guys. We only have two guys and a woman working at our shop full time then the rest fly into the races. They all know what they're doing. We're all rusty I think and so it's all a learning curve. They haven't raced in a while and I haven't raced in a while. And we're just trying to break ourselves in and get all the bugs out. It's proven to be a challenge but we're doing a good job getting it all worked out.

SZ: What's your plan for the next two days here at Palm Beach International?

HW: I have to get my license. I don't even have my license any more. I couldn't afford to make laps every year in Top Fuel to keep it up. So we're planning on running at 5pm and 7pm then all day tomorrow, all day Sunday, all day Monday if we have to.

SZ: Do you have to run a certain performance number to get your license?

HW: I have to make two 4.30 passes. It shouldn't be too difficult, I think we can do it. It's just a little bit of pressure because we want to be ready for Gainesville after this test session. We can't go into Gainesville obviously without me having a license. It costs too much to go test again.

SZ: I liked reading your blogs on NHRA.com. Do you still have a website and if so what is it?

HW: Dote Racing.com. We're going to post a lot of pictures and our team owner Connie does a lot of video. But I am going to start my blog after this test session.

SZ: Do your fans keep in touch with you?

HW: Yes they do. I'm on Facebook and Twitter. On Twitter I'm Hillary Will. I update that all the time. I'm kind of addicted to Twitter and Facebook. I get a lot of fan mail. It's been amazing over these last three years. I thought people would have forgotten about me and maybe some have or a lot have but a lot haven't. Those fans are the ones that are like, "Don't worry you'll be back. We haven't forgotten about you. We really want you back."

Because I had almost given up. But you can't give up.

SZ: It's great to see you back.

HW: Thank you, I'm super excited. I'm glad to be out here and not behind a desk doing bookkeeping.

SZ: Are you still friends with the Kalitta's?

HW: Yes I am. I talked to Jim O yesterday. They were really good to me and I will be forever thankful. They got me licensed and some of those guys kind of took me under their wing and taught me how to drive you know? I'm very thankful for them and for Ken Black or I wouldn't be here right now. I talk to Ken Black all the time. I give him a call every once in a while.

SZ: What's your attitude going into this season?

HW: My attitude? I'm very positive. I'm just super excited. I think our team works well together.
I'm still very thankful to be back in the car and doing what I love.

SZ: Anything else you want to add?

HW: Just thanks to my fans who have always been encouraging and it really has meant a lot. Thanks to the Dote's for putting me back doing what I love.

SZ: Hillary thanks so much for your time.

HW: Thank you!