When Timmy Hill turns 18 on February 25th, the opening day of NASCAR Nationwide Series practice at Phoenix, buying a lottery ticket or going to a movie rated “R” will not be on the agenda; jumping behind the wheel of his full time ride in the #15 Ford for Rick Ware Racing will be.
“My Dad, Jerry, raced for Rick back in the day, and I ran a few ARCA and K&N races with RWR last season. Of course, Rick and my Dad have been friends for a while, but I love working with him and the entire RWR crew. Rick has given me the opportunity to pilot his NASCAR Nationwide entry for the 2011 season, and I don’t think my 18th birthday can come soon enough” Hill said.
Due to NASCAR’s age restriction for drivers, Hill will sit out the opening race at Daytona, but his #15 car will be under the veteran care of Todd Bodine.
“Missing the first race of the season by a week really stinks; I’m not going to lie. Rules are rules though, and I know Todd Bodine will get the job done. On the bright side, Phoenix will be a good place to make my debut. I ran a K&N race there in November, so I’m familiar with the track,” Hill explained.
Hill will compete for Rookie of the Year, and RWR purchased a stable of Fords with Roush-Fenway and engines from Roush-Yates for Hills efforts.
“We have enough Nationwide NEW cars to start a second team, and we are excited to run Timmy for the entire season in the #15 car. We haven’t officially named our primary sponsor, and like most the teams out there, we continuously search for funding. Our goal is to find a teammate for Hill so we can increase our learning curve on the NEW car for the Nationwide Series. We have a fleet of some of the best cars and engine combinations in the series and I know we can compete with the veterans each and every week“, stated Dave Mitchell, Vice-President. “We look forward to working with some new and old sponsors for our organization in 2011 with Timmy who carries himself like a seasoned veteran of racing.”
So when the lights go down in Daytona after the 500, some may feel sad that Speedweeks 2011 has come to an end, but for Timmy Hill, it will be one day closer to the best birthday present an 18 year-old racer could wish for, his chance at the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
For more information visit www.wareracing.com or you can also follow the team on Twitter at @rickwareracing
