HILL THRILLS 'EM AT PARAGOULD!

PARAGOULD, AR -- AMS Pro Modified campaigner Bill Hill gave his sponsors Budweiser and AirForce.com some extra exposure when he recently showed up unannounced at the legendary George Ray's Wildcat Hot Rod Dragstrip in Paragould, Arkansas. While his 500-feet power burnout drove the fans wild (and ended in a completely crossed-up, up-on-two-wheels display), Hill claimed his class win was a highlight of his career. Entered in AA/Fuel Altered (which, based on the track's use of the combined rules of NHRA and AHRA from 1961, is exactly how a modern-era Pro Modified would be classified), Hill stood in line with the Stock Eliminator class winners to collect his gold from 80-year old Ray himself.

"I've won a lot of trophies in my life, but this one was by far the most fun to get!" exclaimed Hill as Ray gave him the same crushing handshake he has offered class winners every Sunday for 53 years. "I'm just so glad my son, Josh, my crew and I finally came down here to see with our own eyes that real drag racing is still alive and well".

Hill made the trek in a caravan of twelve friends from his home base in St. Louis, and the gang left with the B/SA trophy as well (courtesy of winner Jose Hernandez). The lone loser in the group was St. Louis bracket racer Mr. Dirt, who was waxed in the H/SA final in yet another failed attempt to secure one of Ray's trophies. Hill's team manager, Don Itinger, was making his second appearance at Paragould, but seemed more interested in the two J/Gas entries (one of which was a six-cylinder '56 Chevy) and the D/Gas winner (an all-steel '34 Ford with Algon-injected 265 Chevy power which has raced at the track since 1962!). (Words and photos by Bret Kepner) [8-10-2004]

LEVERENTZ GETS HIS FIRST WIN!

Billy Leverentz, who tunes and drives a supercharged pulling truck when he isn't working as the shop foreman at Jim Oddy's Elma, NY engine shop or as the car chief for Oddy's AMS World Championship winning Pro Mod, got his first truck-pulling win last weekend. Using an alky-burning, supercharged 572-inch Dodge wedge-headed engine built at Oddy's shop, Billy, who competes in a class usually dominated by blown hemis, won the pull with a distance of 348 feet. A normal full pull is 300 feet and his closest competitor that night only pulled 299. A tip o' the Agent's fedora to Billy and the guys at Oddy's. [8-10-2004]