Dennis Andrade, of Silverlake, Washington, started the year off strong with a pair of wins at Auto Club Speedway. Andrade’s experience in the class may give him an advantage but the run for the championship title was still close.

“A championship in SCCA Formula Vee is always a greatly satisfying experience,” Andrade said. “Our racing is very competitive and I like it that way. We had a very good car most of the year. As you gain experience with a chassis, it gets easier to make it work to your personal style.”

As the competition is always tight in FV, Andrade said his main focus is to go out each race and drive as hard as possible.

“I really don't think about a Championship during the year,” Andrade said. “Each race is always competitive and I work on preparing the car as best I can. As the last race approaches, I may think of the points, but having a good race is first and the points take care of themselves.”

While most of his racing takes place out west, Andrade said that one of his favorite moments during the season was his trip to the Lonestar State.

“One of the highlights of the year was the opportunity to travel to Texas World Speedway for its ‘last’ race,” Andrade said. “I very much enjoyed the track and the Texas race crowd. Fun people to race with and fun and efficient people that made the event happen.

“The biggest disappointment was not going to the Runoffs. We were in the middle of moving and honestly, Daytona was just too far from Washington - the real one!”

Andrade was sure to thank the anchor of his race team.

“The other half of D & D Racing, Donna Andrade, was instrumental in our championship season,” Andrade said. “It's great to have a partner that knows so much about FV racing and carries so much of the team effort.”