(6-21-2011) BRISTOL, TN – The extensive testing Roy Hill did before the 11th annual Ford NHRA Thunder Valley Nationals presented by Tri-Cities Area Ford Dealers paid off in Bristol, as Hill and teammate Grant Lewis occupied the top two qualifying positions in the Super Stock category.
Lewis, from Jesup, GA, put the Goodyear Ford Mustang Cobra Jet on the pole with an 8.841 second pass, while Hill piloted the Coca-Cola/Alsco car to an 8.886 second elapsed time, good enough for the second starting spot. Hill had been working to bring his car’s performance on par with the second team car, and the one-two showing was the end result.
“For the final round of qualifying, we decided to line up the two Phoenix Racing Cobra Jets beside each other,” Hill said. “We tuned up Grant’s car, and changed it over to the new Goodyear radials. It picked up and went right to the number one spot.”
Unfortunately, Hill’s race day came to an early end when he went red against David Latino in the opening round of eliminations.
“I just messed up, plain and simple,” Hill admitted. “I got lost with the tree coming down, and left way too early.”
Meanwhile, Lewis took his first round bye as a result of being the number one qualifier, then defeated Mike Stokes in round two with an 8.831 on an 8.83 dial-in. Lewis’ day was over in the third round when his finger slipped off the transbrake button, resulting in a -0.373 red light that gave the victory to eventual race winner Mike Saye.
While the cars performed well, Hill and his team are still searching for their first event win of the season.
“The cars are running great, they’re the quickest on the property, but we’re just looking for more consistency on race day,” explained Hill. “We’re going to do a lot of testing between now and our next race, which will be in Joliet, IL for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals on July 7-10. I’m going to try to use the blinders on my helmet and see if that helps me. These Ford Mustang Cobra Jets are really performing, and the drivers just have to pick up their pace.”
Visit Roy Hill for more information about Roy Hill’s Drag Racing School and the team’s 2011 plans.
Lewis, from Jesup, GA, put the Goodyear Ford Mustang Cobra Jet on the pole with an 8.841 second pass, while Hill piloted the Coca-Cola/Alsco car to an 8.886 second elapsed time, good enough for the second starting spot. Hill had been working to bring his car’s performance on par with the second team car, and the one-two showing was the end result.
“For the final round of qualifying, we decided to line up the two Phoenix Racing Cobra Jets beside each other,” Hill said. “We tuned up Grant’s car, and changed it over to the new Goodyear radials. It picked up and went right to the number one spot.”
Unfortunately, Hill’s race day came to an early end when he went red against David Latino in the opening round of eliminations.
“I just messed up, plain and simple,” Hill admitted. “I got lost with the tree coming down, and left way too early.”
Meanwhile, Lewis took his first round bye as a result of being the number one qualifier, then defeated Mike Stokes in round two with an 8.831 on an 8.83 dial-in. Lewis’ day was over in the third round when his finger slipped off the transbrake button, resulting in a -0.373 red light that gave the victory to eventual race winner Mike Saye.
While the cars performed well, Hill and his team are still searching for their first event win of the season.
“The cars are running great, they’re the quickest on the property, but we’re just looking for more consistency on race day,” explained Hill. “We’re going to do a lot of testing between now and our next race, which will be in Joliet, IL for the O’Reilly Auto Parts Route 66 NHRA Nationals on July 7-10. I’m going to try to use the blinders on my helmet and see if that helps me. These Ford Mustang Cobra Jets are really performing, and the drivers just have to pick up their pace.”
Visit Roy Hill for more information about Roy Hill’s Drag Racing School and the team’s 2011 plans.
