Fredericksburg, Virginia – A season with plenty of ups and downs could end on a high note for veteran Virginia driver Willie Mullins, who is a finalist in voting for the 2025 Hoosier Heroes contest.
Mullins’ nomination stems not just from him winning the pole for the ARCA Menards Series season opener at Daytona, but also for what he does for other grassroots racers at his home track, Dominion Raceway, located in Thornburg, Virginia. The nomination stands out amidst what has otherwise been a difficult season for the driver affectionately known as “Big Willie” and for his wife, Dinah Mullins.
“I’m just extremely humbled to be nominated for the 2025 Hoosier Hero program alongside so many great racers,” Mullins said. “We started off the season with a pole at Daytona, and then had a lot of struggles. My wife, Dinah, was diagnosed with breast cancer and, right around the same time, my father-in-law, Dutch, passed from his battle with cancer. He has always been such a big part of our team that it was a blow.”
Both the loss of Dutch VanWyngeeren and Dinah Mullins’ battle with cancer have left Mullins sidelined for much of the season. However, he has continued to race when he gets the opportunity in the Virginia Racer class at Dominion Raceway and at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Virginia.
“Because of everything going on, the ARCA program has stayed parked as we get my wife healthy,” Mullins continued. “We are both racers and both want to be at the track, so we have had some fun running our Virginia Racer. My wife works for Peyton Sellers and Sellers Racing. A lot of her summer, when she was feeling up to it, was at South Boston Speedway.”
While Mullins’ popularity has grown in recent years, he and his wife have both remained committed to grassroots racing. Along with his occasional appearances in the Virginia Racer class, he has also helped several drivers in a variety of different classes, whether its up-and-coming drivers or old school, throwback drivers.
“We are both so drawn to grassroots racing,” Mullins explained. “This is the level where the real magic happens. It’s a really interesting mix of veterans like Peyton Sellers or myself mixed in with the next generation of drivers like Conner Weddell and Chase Johnson. It’s just a great way to give back to the sport that has given us so much.”
Mullins will make a handful of starts across multiple disciplines of racing throughout the closing months of the racing season before preparing to finish what he started at Daytona in February.
You can vote for Willie Mullins in the Hoosier Hero program online on the Hoosier Racing Tires website at: hoosiertire.com/HoosierHeroes/vote.cfm.