U.S. Nationals Highlights Roy Hill’s Packed Schedule

CLERMONT, IN – Always on the move, motorsports legend Roy Hill kicked off a 17-week road trip two weeks ago at Maple Grove Raceway, where he hosted a session of his drag racing school, judged the car show and raced his Ford Mustang Cobra Jets during the Fun Ford Weekend event.

“It’s one race right after another from here to the end of the year,” Hill said. “We also have some match races booked in between.”

Hill was runner-up to his Phoenix Racing team driver, Craig Hankinson, in the final round of the Aeromotive Cobra Jet Challenge. The challenge was a special class where Ford Racing’s finest purpose-built Cobra Jet Mustangs could take on Hill and Hankinson.

From there it was on to Summit Motorsports Park in Norwalk, OH for the Cobra Jet Showdown held in conjunction with the 7th annual JE Pistons NMCA Muscle Car Nationals. Hankinson qualified second while Hill wound up fifth in the Cobra Jet Super Stock division, but both drivers were out of competition after the first round of eliminations.

“These special races for Cobra Jets have been excellent and really show the support racers and tracks have for the cars, not to mention the support from Ford,” Hill said. “We’ve run pretty good and had our luck go both ways. We did a lot of testing and found a problem, so now we’re back on top of everything heading into Indy.”

The U.S. Nationals is the biggest race on the planet for any racer, but it holds a special place in the heart of past champions like Roy Hill. Visiting the winner’s circle at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis is a feeling like none other.

“We want to get back to victory lane like we did in 2010 for FireAde 2000, Coca-Cola, Alsco and Ford Racing,” Hill said.

For the “Big Go”, Hill has also partnered with longtime friend Ronnie Jones and his world famous restaurant, Bar-B-Que Heaven in Indianapolis. The doors opened on their first store in 1952, and since then the family has added another location and two on-site facilities, one at Lucas Oil Stadium and the other at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Hill’s 2010 Cobra Jet has received a sleek new black wrap for the U.S. Nationals and will carry the logo of the Ronnie Thames Foundation on the hood for the upcoming NHRA Carolina Nationals at Hill’s home track, zMAX Dragway.

“I’m really excited to have the Ronnie Thames Foundation on the car through October, leading up to the Ronnie Thames Foundation Golf Classic,” said Hill. “The foundation honors the memory of Ronnie Thames, son of FireAde 2000 founder Ron Thames, and raises funds for children’s burn centers around the country.”

The second annual Ronnie Thames Foundation Golf Classic will be held October 14, 2013 at Flat Creek Country Club in Peachtree City, GA. For more information, please visit www.theronniethamesfoundation.com.

Photo by Roger Richards / CompetitionPlus.com