Eddie Hill headed for Texas Motor Sports Hall of Fame (1 Viewer)
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BaldyLochs
Nitro Member
Long overdue!
DrRocket
Nitro Member
I'm really glad to hear this. A well deserved honor.
My first memory of Eddie Hill comes from the mid eighties.
We were heading up Hwy 371 to attend the Northstar Nationals. Caught up with, and passed a white dually pulling a white 5th wheel trailer emblazoned with the banner "Eddie and Ercie Hill's "THE TEXAN" As we passed, I looked in the cab and saw a gentleman with silver hair driving. I stuck my hand out and gave a thumbs up, which was answered with a big toothy grin, a blast of the horn, and two enthusiastic waves.
Later, after the first Friday qualifying session, I stopped by their pit, and it was Eddie and Erie, by themselves, and Eddie was running a compression check on the motor while Ercie was carefully writing down the results in a big logbook. (This was pre-data recorder, and when they didn't always routinely tear the engine down between rounds.) It was just the two of them, as their (Probably volunteer.) crew hadn't arrived yet. Since this was pre-Penzoil, he didn't have much of a budget, having recently made the transition from fuel boats. Later, after the second session, we stopped by and chatted with him. They were so friendly, and treated us so nice, I felt like I had known them for years.
The last time I saw him was in Brainerd, and Fuzzy was still their crew chief. I think they were still running the "Nuclear Banana" but I'm not sure. (Wasn't that car later destroyed in a blow over? I seem to remember hearing Eddie once saying that Don Garlits had been bugging him to display that car, the first into the fours, in Ocala, but he was having such success with it, he hated to retire it.)
Eddie and Ercie instantly become two of my all time favorite racers, and remain so to this day. It sure would be cool to see them back out there actively involved with racing again, but I hear they've pretty much settled into retirement mode, and are enjoying life.
My first memory of Eddie Hill comes from the mid eighties.
We were heading up Hwy 371 to attend the Northstar Nationals. Caught up with, and passed a white dually pulling a white 5th wheel trailer emblazoned with the banner "Eddie and Ercie Hill's "THE TEXAN" As we passed, I looked in the cab and saw a gentleman with silver hair driving. I stuck my hand out and gave a thumbs up, which was answered with a big toothy grin, a blast of the horn, and two enthusiastic waves.
Later, after the first Friday qualifying session, I stopped by their pit, and it was Eddie and Erie, by themselves, and Eddie was running a compression check on the motor while Ercie was carefully writing down the results in a big logbook. (This was pre-data recorder, and when they didn't always routinely tear the engine down between rounds.) It was just the two of them, as their (Probably volunteer.) crew hadn't arrived yet. Since this was pre-Penzoil, he didn't have much of a budget, having recently made the transition from fuel boats. Later, after the second session, we stopped by and chatted with him. They were so friendly, and treated us so nice, I felt like I had known them for years.
The last time I saw him was in Brainerd, and Fuzzy was still their crew chief. I think they were still running the "Nuclear Banana" but I'm not sure. (Wasn't that car later destroyed in a blow over? I seem to remember hearing Eddie once saying that Don Garlits had been bugging him to display that car, the first into the fours, in Ocala, but he was having such success with it, he hated to retire it.)
Eddie and Ercie instantly become two of my all time favorite racers, and remain so to this day. It sure would be cool to see them back out there actively involved with racing again, but I hear they've pretty much settled into retirement mode, and are enjoying life.
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