Fri, 30 Jul 2010, 11:28 AM Marry Me and You'll See the World

By Bob Frey Photo copyright 2010 Auto Imagery, Inc.

Larry and Patsy Hill

I don't know whose jokes about being married I enjoyed more, Henny Youngman or Rodney Dangerfield. I guess Henny would have to be my favorite since I once hosted a banquet where he was the featured entertainer. And, while I will keep it secret where it was, I guarantee you there are people reading this who were there that night. Henny did forty-five minutes, I had heard every joke before and I still laughed out loud. By the way, the only reason I'm keeping it secret is because there could be pictures out there from that night, and while I have donned some wacky outfits for the DRAW auction over the years, the outfit I wore that particular night tops them all, and by keeping it secret I can only hope those pictures don't surface. Anyway, Henny had some classics like, "For our anniversary my wife asked me to take her somewhere she'd never been before, so I took her to the kitchen (rim shot)! Or, "I just came back from a pleasure trip, I took my mother-in-law to the airport." And one of my all-time favorites: "My wife went to the spa and got a mud pack. She looked good for three days and then the mud fell off." And so it went, and even though he made jokes at her expense, Henny was happily married to his wife, Sadie, for sixty years and they travelled all over the world together. The way I figure it, that means that Larry and Patsy Hill are basically newlyweds and their trip on the "Western Swing" is like a commute.

Hill launches with the wheels up.

Larry and Patsy have been married for forty years, and while we all know that the fortieth anniversary is the "Ruby" anniversary, Larry had bigger plans for Patsy. "I did buy her a ruby years ago," he said while getting ready for the Mopar Mile-High Nationals. "We have a relative who lives near Baton Rouge and he is a jeweler, so every time we go to race at Belle Rose we visit him and it costs me money." So with the ruby already taken care of, Larry had to think of something else to do for Patsy for their anniversary. "We have always wanted to go out west and race at some of the tracks that we have never been to," he said. "We had talked about it before but after the Norwalk race we decided to do it." As of this moment, that decision, or that anniversary present, has meant that the Hill's have traveled 4,434 miles from their home in Kentucky to Seattle, Sonoma and finally to Denver, with intermittent stops along the way. "It's been a lot of fun. We've seen a lot of the country and even raced a little on the way." That racing took place at Thunder Valley Raceway in Marion, South Dakota. "It was a Super Stock/Stock combo race and we had a great time," Larry said. "From there we got to see Mt. Rushmore, the Badlands, the Salt Flats and a lot of wide open spaces." For anyone who has driven through that part of the country you know how wide open those spaces actually are.

Hill at Indy '07.

Larry Hill has been racing since back in the early 1980's and he's been doing a lot of it with the same car that he has on tour. "It's a 1971 Barracuda with a 440 cubic inch engine and a six-pack set-up." The car, which runs in A/SA, has been in Larry's possession since 1980. "When I got it it had a 383 engine and a four-barrel," he said. "It wasn't a real race car and I think I paid $800 for it." Such a deal, and it reminds me of another one of Henny's favorite jokes. "My wife loves to shop and she'll buy anything that's marked down. Last week she bought an escalator." Rim shot!!

Larry and Patsy at Domaine Carneros winery

When Larry began racing his 'Cuda at his home track, Union Hill Dragway, now known as Music City Raceway, he did a lot of combo racing. "I always wanted to run it as a 'class' car," he said. "But it was a long, slow and arduous task to get it fast enough that it would run the index." Like a lot of things in life, that hard work paid off for Larry and he was the number one qualifier in Stock Eliminator at both the 40th and 50th anniversary of the U.S. Nationals. "I have to say that over the years I have had a lot of help with the car and there are lots of people I have to thank. Among them are Jimmy Bridges, Don Little, Jerry Bennett, George Widuch, Gary Jennings, Greg Luneack, Brad Van Lant and Jerry Newsome. Those guys have so much experience and they were a big help with this car and I can't thank them enough. I also want to thank everyone at Goodyear Tires." Through his work, and with a little, or a lot, of help from his friends, Larry now drives one of the best cars in the class, although he downplays its success.

Hill in in his truck in '95.

"I ran one of those new Mustangs in a heads-up race in Seattle and he beat me. Those cars are 'world-class' and my car is a 'has-been' class." Well, those Fords may be quick but I don't know anyone who wouldn't want to own a 440 six-pack Barracuda. The Ford that beat Larry in Seattle went on to win the race, and the car he lost to in Sonoma went to the final round. "I guess it's some consolation when you can say that you lost to the guy who either won or was the runner-up." After pausing for a moment he added, "I never raced at Seattle or Sonoma before, but I have raced at Denver. It was 1991 and I also lost to the guy who won the race and he had a Ford, too." For the record that Ford driver was Jim West. In addition to seeing new tracks Larry is also getting to see new racers. "I have read a lot about the guys out west and I wanted to see how we stacked up against them. I especially wanted to see Joe Sorenson because his car is spooky fast." Larry added that it has been a real treat to meet some of these drivers in person. "This is a big fraternity. Everyone gets along and it's a real pleasure to get to race against some of these guys, and I have to say they have all been great to Patsy and me."

Hill with his Wally in '95.

While Larry gets a lot of attention for running his classic Mopar, it was another vehicle that actually brought him fame back in 1995. "It was a Chevy truck that I had with a V-6 engine. My son, Chris, was interested in racing so I got the truck for me to drive while he ran the 'Cuda." At Atlanta in '95 Larry took the truck all the way to the final round where he beat Terry Emmons to become the first driver ever in NHRA competition to win a national event in Stock Eliminator with a truck. "That was a very nice day and I still remember it vividly," he said. He still has that truck but it doesn't look like it will be on the track any time soon. He also still has all the original parts for the 'Cuda, but it doesn't look like it will be back on the street any time soon. "We're having a great time right now and things are going pretty good so we're not going to make many changes."

Hill at Mt. Rushmore.

Having completed his own version of the "Western Swing," Larry says that he will head back to Hickory, Kentucky, and see how things are going at home before heading out again. "We run a machine shop and we work on Caterpillar and Komatsu tractors and things like that. We also have a used parts yard that features parts for tractors and trucks. In fact, while we were on this trip we bought a 40-ton truck from a guy in Texas. Business has been good or we wouldn't be able to do this, and my son, Chris, watches it while we're on the road." Once he checks in at home Larry said that he will take his car to be freshened up and then head for the Lucas Oil race in Bowling Green and then back to Indy. "I want to make sure we're competitive when we go to Indy, and after seeing a lot of the competition on this trip, it looks like we have some work to do." With some help from his friends and with the support of his wife, I think Larry will be ok. And who knows, after Indy, maybe he'll be paraphrasing Henny Youngman by saying, "Take my trophy. Please."