(Image: Jessica Ward)
26 Promotions – Show Low, AZ – (August 1, 2018) – Spencer Hill was back in a Non-Wing 360 Sprint Car for the first time since 2016 as he pulled double duty with the NMMRA Sprint Car Series and the Micro Sprints Friday and Saturday at Show Low Speedway Park.
“It was such an honor to get back behind the wheel of the Grammy’s Kitchen 11w for SEH Motorsports this weekend. It was hard to go into the weekend with any sort of goals or expectations, so we just took it as it was; an opportunity to have an extremely fun weekend,” explained Hill. “Pulling double duty is never an easy feat as the cars drive very differently and it’s always a rush to go back and forth with cars, but my team gave me the tools to make the transition very smooth.”
First up on Friday night would be the Wing Micro Sprints, Hill’s sixth to fourth advancement in his heat would line him up seventh for the start of the feature.
“We had a bad pill draw along with a fast heat in the Micro which put us in a bad spot for the main event,” said Hill. “But, I kept a level head and fought my way through the field for a respectable second-place finish behind Jarrett (Martin) who was on rails all weekend.”
Transitioning over to the Sprint Car, Hill picked up his first career heat race win in a Sprint Car Friday night earning himself a spot in the feature redraw where he’d draw the five to lock himself into the 5th starting spot for the main event.
“To start off my Sprint Car racing with a heat race win was very special to me. I think it gave us the confidence to understand that we can definitely be a player with this car,” he said. “The Sprint Car became a bucking bull in the main event, and I did everything I could to hold on to it. Unfortunately, with a handful of laps to go, I made a mistake and checked up while battling for third. When I jumped back into the throttle, I surprised the car in the dry slick, and it spun it around. Due to NMMMRA’s no-360-spin rule, I had to go to the rear of the field only coming back to finish tenth.”
After a solid outing in both the Micro and Sprint Car, Hill and his team looked to build off a successful Friday night as they headed back to Show Low Speedway Park for night two of the Arizona vs. New Mexico Challenge.
The running order would again see the Micro Sprints first on the track, this time running without the wings bolted on.
Hill’s seventh to second run in his heat would place him in the redraw where he’d draw the two to start on the outside of the front row.
“The VP Racing Fuels 4s just seemed to be a little down on power, and I was having a very hard time on restarts,” he explained. “We got moved out of the way, and it put me in a vulnerable spot on the high side of the speedway. Going into turn one, the 24C did a late slide job on us and parked it right in front of me, and I threw the car sideways to keep from making contact with him. Unfortunately, Bradley Huish in the 5 was right behind me with nowhere to go, along with the 21 and I caused a lot more cars to be torn up which I feel terrible about.”
Hill was able to get the car refired but only completed another lap or two before the motor expired ending his night.
“It was a bummer way to end a competitive weekend in the Micro Sprint, and now we have some work to do before the next race,” he said.
In the Sprint Car, Hill inherited the pole position in his heat when the scheduled pole sitter dropped to the rear of the field due to engine troubles. Hill fought the car throughout the eight-lap race, finishing sixth. The result placed him 14th on the grid for Saturday night’s feature.
“I was pretty much along for the ride in the heat race as the car was seemingly in the air more than on the ground which gave us a terrible starting position for the feature,” Hill explained. “We started 14th and patiently marched our way through the field avoiding multiple wrecks to come home a respectable sixth-place finish.”
Hill now has four wins, five top five and seven top ten finishes this season.
“It was a challenging weekend, but I couldn’t be any more proud of our effort,” he said. “I would like to give a huge thank you to everyone that stepped up to the plate to allow me to run two very competitive cars. I’m excited to announce more Sprint Car races in the near future.”
Like Spencer Hill Racing on Facebook for updates on his upcoming schedule.
Spencer Hill would like to thank VP Racing Fuels, SEH Motorsports, Grammy’s Kitchen, Hassell Racing, Bell Racing Helmets, Matt’s Mobile Detailing, and Wheels Up Wednesday for their continued support.
Friday’s Wing Micro Results
Heat: 6th -> 4th
Feature: 7th -> 2nd
Friday’s NMMRA Results
Heat: 1st -> 1st
Feature: 5th -> 10th
Saturday’s Non-Wing Micro Results
Heat: 7th -> 2nd
Feature: 2nd -> 13th
Saturday’s NMMRA Results
Heat: 1st -> 6th
Feature: 14th -> 6th
Links
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SpencerHillRacing
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Spencer_Hill4
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/spencer_hill4
Website: http://www.spencerhill-racing.com
Article Credit: 26 Promotions