Bobby Hillin Jr.

Bobby Hillin Jr.
Born June 5, 1964
Midland, Texas, United States
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series career
334 races run over 17 years
Best finish 9th (1986)
First race 1982 Northwestern Bank 400 (North Wilkesboro)
Last race 2000 goracing.com 500 (Bristol)
First win 1986 Talladega 500 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 43 0
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
115 races run over 14 years
Best finish 19th (1999)
First race 1986 All Pro 300 (Charlotte)
Last race 2009 O'Reilly Challenge (Texas)
First win 1988 Budweiser 200 (Dover)
Last win 1989 GM Parts 300 (Nazareth)
Wins Top tens Poles
2 25 0

Robert K. "Bobby" Hillin Jr. (born June 5, 1964 in Midland, Texas) is a American stock car racing driver. He is a former competitor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series, and once held the record for being the youngest driver ever to win a Winston Cup Series event.

Early career

Born in Midland, Texas, Hillin began his career in racing by watching his father's IndyCar team, Longhorn Racing, compete in United States Auto Club-sanctioned sprint car racing and IndyCar events.[1] An all-district linebacker in high school,[2] he began his stock car career at the age of 13; soon after he won the track championship at Odessa Speedbowl in Odessa, Texas, and attended the Buck Baker Driving School at the age of 16.[3]

Hillin's 1984 Winston Cup car

Hillin made his debut in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition at the age of 17, driving a car owned and sponsored by his family and crewed by Harry Hyde in the 1982 Northwestern Bank 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway to a 21st place finish.[4] Hillin moved to North Carolina to further his career, continuing his education through correspondence courses; he graduated from high school the day before the 1983 Coca-Cola World 600;[4] in 1984 he joined Stavola Brothers Racing,[4] and in 1986 became the youngest winner in NASCAR's "modern era" when he won the Talladega 500 for the team,[4] at the age of 22 years, 1 month and 22 days.[5]

Despite the win, and two wins in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1988 and 1989 driving for Highline Racing, Hillin's career took a downturn; he would later say he was not mature enough to deal with the pressures of being a NASCAR winner.[6] He left the Stavola Brothers team after the 1990 season; he started the 1991 season qualifying a backup car for Moroso Racing fastest in third-round time trials for the Daytona 500.[7] A seventh-place finish in the 500 won Hillin the team's regular ride, however after ten races a lack of sponsorship forced the team to cut back its schedule, and Hillin was released;[8] After two races with Jimmy Means Racing,[9] Hillin was named as substitute driver for Kyle Petty, who had broken his leg earlier in the year in a wreck at Talladega;[10] he drove eight races in the Team SABCO No. 42 before Petty returned.[11]

Hillin then joined Team Ireland late in the 1991 season, and then for a partial season in 1992.[12] When the team closed late in 1992, Hillin moved to Donlavey Racing, running the full 1993 season for the team.[13] After three races in 1994, Hillin resigned from the team;[14] Hillin ran a partial schedule the rest of the year for Charles Hardy Racing and Moroso Racing,[15][16] then attempted two races early in 1995 for Moroso,[17] before joining Jasper Motorsports twelve races into the 1995 season, replacing Davy Jones.[18] Hillin remained with the team through 1996 and into 1997. Hillin also competed in the Suzuka Thunder Special, an exhibition race held at Suzuka Circuit in Japan following the 1996 season;[19] he finished seventh in the event.[20] He was released from the team after failing to qualify for the 1997 Coca-Cola 600;[21] he continued to drive for the team through the Pocono 500 before being replaced by Morgan Shepherd.[22] Later that year Hillin attempted three races for Triad Motorsports,[23] failing to qualify for any; he would only drive one further Winston Cup race in his career, at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2000 for Melling Racing, substituting for an injured Stacy Compton.[24]

Late career

Hillin restarted his own Busch Series team for the 1998 season, including five Major League Baseball players in the team's ownership;[25] the team underperformed, and after the 2000 season he chose to go into-semiretirement, having decided to go into business in his native Texas.[6] In 2008 Hillin returned briefly to competition, driving at Kansas Speedway in the Nationwide Series for MacDonald Motorsports; he drove one additional race for the team in the series at Texas Motor Speedway in 2009, but then retired for good from the sport.[6]

Personal life

Hillin is married to Jamie Patterson of Austin, TX. He has three children with his former wife Kim; Luke, Stephanie and Joseph. He currently CEO of T-Rex Engineering & Construction, providing services to the Gulf of Mexico oil drilling industry,[1][6]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold - Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics - Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series

Nationwide Series

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shaffer, Jan (July 22, 2010). "Where Are They Now? Bobby Hillin Jr.". Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Retrieved 2013-09-16.
  2. ↑ "Texas Tie: Bobby Hillin Jr.". February 20, 2000. Fort Worth, TX: Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Sports-Special Page 4. Accessed 2013-09-17.
  3. ↑ "Hillin not hiding in the trunk this time". The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC). August 18, 1993. p. 3B. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Harris, Mike. "Youngest NASCAR winner Bobby Hillin learns fast". August 10, 1986. Youngstown, OH: The Vindicator. Page D5. Accessed 2013-09-17.
  5. ↑ "Bobby Hillin". July 16, 1996. Ocala, FL: Star-Banner. Page 6D. Accessed 2013-09-17.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Aumann, Mark (April 15, 2011). "Retro Racing: Talladega win didn't propel Hillin Jr. way he envisioned". NASCAR.com. Turner Sports. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  7. ↑ "Hillin Jr. Leads Third Leg of Time Trials". Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Sarasota, FL). February 13, 1991. p. 6C. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  8. ↑ Higgins, Tom (June 24, 1991). "Moroso looking to rebuild shattered life". Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC). p. 2C. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  9. ↑ Gillispie, Tom (June 2, 1991). "Dover has hot, powerless feeling". Sunday Post-Courier (Charleston, SC). p. 8C. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  10. ↑ "NASCAR puts big dent in rough racing". Philadelphia Daily News (Philadelphia, PA). June 13, 1991. p. 81. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  11. ↑ Green, David (September 2, 1991). "Petty's comeback spoiled by engine". Spartanburg Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC). p. D4. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  12. ↑ Stout, Harold (May 3, 1992). "Aiming High". The Tuscaloosa News (Tuscaloosa, AL). p. C1. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  13. ↑ Zeller, Bob (October 23, 1993). "Kyle Petty notches fourth straight pole spot at Rockingham". Greensboro News & Record (Greensboro, NC). p. C5. Retrieved 2013-09-12.
  14. ↑ "Donlavey gives M. Wallace seat". The Charlotte Observer (Charlotte, NC). March 9, 1994. p. 2B. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  15. ↑ Higgins, Tom (April 27, 1994). "Hillin gets new ride". Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC). p. 3C. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  16. ↑ "Bobby Hillin Jr. - 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. USA Today Sports Media Group. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  17. ↑ "Changes everywhere on NASCAR circuit". Wilmington Morning Star (Wilmington, NC). February 17, 1995. pp. NASCAR Supplement 2. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  18. ↑ "Labonte replaces Green in 200". TimesDaily (Florence, AL). June 4, 1995. p. 4C. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  19. ↑ "To the Far East". The Mount Airy News (Mount Airy, NC). November 21, 1996. p. 8A. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  20. ↑ "Motorsports Report". Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Fort Worth, TX). November 28, 1996. p. 4S. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  21. ↑ Mackena, Joe (May 24, 1997). "Hillin released by Jasper Motorsports". Associated Press. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  22. ↑ "Morgan to Jasper Motorsports". Motorsport.com. June 9, 1997. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  23. ↑ "Hillin named to take over Triad ride at Pocono this week". July 17, 1997. Charlotte, NC: The Charlotte Observer. Page 2B. Accessed 2013-09-17.
  24. ↑ DeLoach, Jenny (August 27, 2000). "Pros can be blockheads, too: Bristol really gets 'em mad". The Daytona Beach News-Journal (Daytona Beach, FL). p. 12C. Retrieved 2013-09-17.
  25. ↑ Brioso, Cesar. "Hillin Has Big-league Supporters". November 14, 1998. Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Sun-Sentinel. Page 1C. Accessed 2013-09-17.

External links