Mon, 23 Jun 2003, 10:37 AM Bill Hill -- The "Other" Budweiser car

Courtesy of Pro Mod Marketing Group

MADISON, Ill. -- Mention Budweiser in connection with NASCAR and the discussion turns to Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Relate Budweiser to the NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series and the names Kenny and Brandon Bernstein immediately come to the forefront. But there is another drag racer who carries the name Budweiser on his '69 Chevy Nova.

Bll Hill

For the past 12 years, the name Budweiser has emblazoned the side of a Bill Hill race car. Hill, the St. Louis driver and team owner, currently racing on the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge, an exhibition category on the NHRA national event circuit, actually began his racing career on the circle track circuit in the employment of another St. Louis-area native, NASCAR star Rusty Wallace.

Wallace and Hill were high school classmates (Fox High School in Arnold, Mo.) and after graduation Hill joined Wallace's crew during his USAC and ASA racing days. After that learning curve ended and Wallace headed for the NASCAR circuit and super stardom, Hill stayed behind in St. Louis working with Rusty's brothers Mike and Kenny. In fact, Hill, who has always supported his racing career by painting race cars, painted a number of the younger Wallaces' race cars.

His avocation lead to employment at a local car dealership and a chance meeting with August A. Busch IV (of Anheuser-Busch). "I was working at a local luxury car dealership in the paint and body shop and Mr. Busch came in to have a car painted. We began talking, got to be friends and have been friends ever since," said Hill. Little did Hill realize at the time that the chance meeting would evolve into a 12-year business relationship with Budweiser becoming a marketing partner in Hill's racing operation.

Hill's drag racing career got its start in the early 90s when he teamed up with veteran St. Louis drag racer Harry Mathews. By 1995, he had taken over the driving duties. Early on, the team had a series of Pro-Street Camaros that they competed with in both the NMCA Pro Street class and the IHRA Top Sportsman division. But change was on the horizon.

In 2000, with a newly built supercharged '69 Nova, the same car he currently campaigns, Hill and team headed to the Super Chevy circuit for two seasons and was planning a third before another opportunity presented Hill with another direction for his career.

Dave Woods whose company, AMS Staff Leasing, sponsors the NHRA Pro Mod Challenge, asked Hill if he would like to drive the AMS '57 Chevy at the NHRA Pro Mod events as part of a two car team, with Bill Kuhlman handling the driving duties on the other entry. Hill accepted the new challenge and not only competed on the NHRA circuit but found time to continue to campaign his own Nova Nitro Coupe in five races on the Super Chevy circuit.

For 2003, Hill continues to be part of a two-car AMS program but this season he will drive his own '69 Nova and will be teamed with Australian Pro Mod veteran Troy Critchley. Backing for Hill's car will come from both Budweiser and AMS with engine power being supplied by Critchley for both team cars.

The '69 Nova which Hill ran at Super Chevy events in 2002, as a Nitro Coupe recorded elapsed times in the 6.20's at over 230 mph. For 2003, the Nova was updated, prior to the first event on the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge schedule, at Mark Lynn's Missouri chassis shop.

"The new supercharged, alky burning, wedge-head engine that Troy (Critchley) built for this Budweiser/AMS team is making close to the same horsepower that our nitro-burning engine did," said Hill. "Part of the reason for that is these engines are using both a billet block and cylinder heads. With the billet parts we can dial a lot more power into this engine combination than we could into our previous motors."

That increased power means none of the clutch and chassis setup the team developed in running alcohol motors in past years can be applied to what they now have. As a result the team has struggled through the first half of the season. They have started to use the baselines developed when they ran on the Super Chevy circuit.

"Horsepower is horsepower, so those setups should help us get a handle on the program, " reflected Hill. "We're also going to start testing every chance we get to make this car more competitive for our sponsors."

Next up for Hill's Budweiser/AMS Pro Modified team is the NHRA AMS Staff Leasing Pro Mod Challenge being held as part of the Seventh annual NHRA Sears Craftsman Nationals at Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., just across the river from Hill's hometown of St. Louis. The event unfolds June 27-29.

Hill will attempt to qualify his Budweiser- and AMS-backed, supercharged '69 Nova Pro Mod twice each day on Friday (June 27) and Saturday (June 28) at 4:45 and 7:45 p.m., with eliminations for all classes beginning Sunday afternoon (June 29) at 4:30 p.m. All times are Central Daylight Time (local time) and subject to change without notice.

The Pro Mod action from the last event at Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, Ill. (Chicago) can be viewed on ESPN2 on Sunday, June 22 at 5:30 p.m. (Repeat: Saturday, June 28 at 2 a.m.). Also, if you can't be at St. Louis in person, for a close-up of the Pro Mod action from Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill. (St. Louis) tune in to ESPN2 on Thursday, July 10 at 3:30 p.m. (Repeat: Saturday, July 26 and Monday, July 28 at 5 a.m.). All times are Eastern Time and subject to change without notice.