LAS  VEGAS, NV -- Neal Dulin’s first weekend as a Pro division driver delivered exactly what you hope to see from a young racer stepping up to the next level. Speed. Growth. Composure. And the ability to run with some of the most accomplished Legend Car drivers in the country on one of the most demanding layouts at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Though the weekend ended with a tough break in the final race, Dulin showed he belonged in the Pro field from the moment he unloaded.

Friday was spent learning the Silver State road course, which was brand-new to him. The progression came quickly. By the end of the day, he had picked up three full seconds and had the car where he needed it heading into race day.

In Race One on Saturday, Dulin started eighth and worked his way forward to finish sixth overall and fifth in the Pro division. The field included highly respected drivers such as Ben Morabito, Devin O’Connell, Brenden Ruzbarsky, Tyler Reif, David Mayhew, and Tyler Read, making his opening run a strong statement for a debut outing.

The momentum continued in Race Two, where he started sixth and raced his way into the top four, even leading at one point. After being forced off track, he settled into fourth at the finish and third in Pro, another step forward in pace and execution.

On Sunday, the speed was still there. Dulin qualified fourth with only a small slipstream separating him from the front row and then drove to second in his heat race. The feature immediately turned into one of the tightest battles of the weekend, with the top six cars running under a metaphorical blanket. Dulin held steady inside the top three and four throughout the race.

With two laps remaining, the leaders dove three wide into the hairpin. Dulin arrived in third gear when he should have been in second, which compressed the closing rate and led to contact with two other cars. The impact bent a steering arm and ended his race on the spot, cutting short what had been a breakout weekend in the making.

“It’s a disappointing way to finish, but I’ll learn from it and move on,” Dulin said. “For my first weekend as a Pro, it was a successful start. I can’t thank Dulin Mechanical enough, 860 Motorsports for bringing me a great car, and I’m grateful to the Lord for giving me this chance to grow from every mistake.”

Dulin now turns his focus back to Atlanta Motorsports Park, where he heads into the Moonshine Series next week as the points leader, carrying both the confidence and the lessons from his Las Vegas debut.