4/18/2017
Hill Salvages Top 10 in POWRi Lucas Oil WAR 305 Sprint League Season Opener
(Image Credit: Adam Mollenkopf - Dirt Racing Syndicate)
26 Promotions – Aztec, NM – (April 18th, 2017) – After a five and a half month off-season, Spencer Hill was more than ready to get back behind the wheel Saturday night at Aztec Speedway.
Under clear skies, Hill hit the hammer down track for the first time in hot laps.
“It was the first time I’ve been on a track since October 31st,” said Hill. “And we were right where we needed to be.”
With 17 cars signed in for action, Hill would start 5th in Heat 3. On a narrow but fast track, Hill jumped up to third on the initial start, completing the first lap before the only caution flag would fly.
“After the caution, I set my sights on the #17 of Jon McDaniel for 2nd,” explained Hill. “I just bid my time until I got a good run and was able to pull alongside him down the front stretch with one to go.”
Hill pulled off the slide job in turns 1 and 2 to grab the position and finish 2nd.
Going from 5th to 2nd in the Heat earned Hill enough passing points for the 4th starting spot in the American Linen Dash for Cash. The Dash awarded $200 to the winning driver as well as set the first four rows of the Feature.
As the track began to widen out and slick off through the middle, Hill grabbed 3rd after a three-wide start. He’d go on to finish the 8 lap Dash in the 3rd spot, earning himself the 3rd starting position for the 30-lap Feature.
Hill found his way to the top in the early going as he ran 4th on a track that was now slick up to a big, choppy cushion.
“We were a little too tight on the cushion,” he explained. “So on lap 2 I tried to move my line down a little bit to help rotate the car but missed my mark and spun out in front of the field, luckily nobody hit me.”
Hill worked his way back up to 10th before a red flag would halt action on the track after Mike Grady flipped in turn 2 with 9 laps to go. With open red conditions allowing crews to adjust the cars, the 4s crew went to work on the rear of the car to get the balance corrected.
Hill would have to go to the very bottom of the track on the restart after the cars in front of him bottled up on the cushion in turns 1 and 2, but he’d miss his mark again resulting in a 360 spin. He kept the car fired but would lose a lap. With rules similar to NASCAR’s “Wave Around,” Hill would gain his lap back after another caution with 3 laps to go.
“I was finally able to get my head straight and started making some clean laps and making progress,” he said. “There was a big wreck in turn 2 that I barely missed and I found myself worked back up to 8th for the final restart with 3 to go.”
On the restart, Hill would get past the 1A of Robert Herrera to finish 7th.
“The car didn’t really have the balance that it had earlier in the night, but it wasn’t anything that I shouldn’t have been able to carry,” said Hill. “The guys worked hard all weekend and I didn’t give them the finish that they deserved. I made too many mistakes and you can’t make any mistakes to run up front with these guys. It wasn’t all bad, however, because we showed some amazing speed in the Heat and Dash.”
Hill is back in action April 29th when the POWRi Lucas Oil WAR 305 Sprint League makes their first appearance at Southern New Mexico Speedway in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
Spencer Hill would like to thank BSE Technical Services, VP Racing Fuels, SEH Motorsports, Hassell Racing, 26 Promotions and Bell Helmets for their continued support.
Results:
Heat: 5th -> 2nd
Dash: 4th -> 3rd
Feature: 3rd -> 7th
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
