[JessicaJ]

Illinois Speedweek Debut Brings Highs and Lows for AJ Hill
By Jessica Jenkins

When AJ Hill pulled into Jacksonville Speedway Friday night, it was to make his first start of the year and also debut in POWRi's Illinois Speedweek. After skipping the first two nights at Route 66 and Fairbury, Hill and his Jeff and Jill Davis-owned team were ready to join the action.

During the first of his three races, Hill started the brightly colored D33 car on pole of the first heat. A loose steering wheel caused him to spin out and he finished 8th, sending him to start on the inside of row 9 for the Jacksonville Feature. From there he drove all the way up to a battle for fifth in the 20-lap event until the brakes went out during the closing laps. Unable to really challenge the drivers ahead, the driver from Peoria, IL packed up at the end of the night with an eighth place finish.

Looking to shake off the issues from the day before, his team unloaded on a hot and breezy Saturday afternoon at Macon Speedway. As evening approached, Hill got on track in the first of two heats by starting in the fifth position. Using the high side to his advantage, the 27 year old driver was up to second place by the end of lap 2. A yellow immediately followed that brought trouble for the leader and Hill restarted in the lead. He received multiple challenges from the drivers behind, but fought them off and survived one more caution to easily take his first POWRi D2 heat win. That run from fifth to first put him on the pole of the 20 lap feature based off passing points. The start was a little rocky for him as he dropped to fourth place in a tight battle within the top five. A red flag early brought everyone to a stop and when the green flag waved again he was sitting fourth. Hill's orange and black midget did not stay there long though, as he moved into second just before another incident brought out the yellow. He started fast and waited through another yellow a lap later before finding his rhythm to stay within sight of the leader. Racing hard for the runner-up spot with six laps to go, Hill and another driver went for the same piece of ground in turn 2, colliding and almost bringing the D33 to a stop. He managed to keep it running and zipped away from the corner as more cars piled in. Restarting second for the final time, he stayed close enough to winner Andy Malpocker to keep him on his toes in the handful of laps to the checkered. The second place finish was a new high for the Jeff and Jill Davis/AJ Hill combination and they were excited to head off to Lincoln Speedway on Sunday.

Pulling into Lincoln for the final night of Illinois Speedweek as early as possible, work began to tune the car up for the 1/4 mile track inside the Logan County Fairgrounds. The first heat race began with Hill on the pole. Up to that point, the track had already taken a bite out of several National midget drivers, but Hill made it through without a scratch and with a third place result. Turning that finish into a twelfth place Feature start, he didn't stay there for long and had jumped up to tenth when the yellow flag flew for the first time. Two more yellows flew in quick succession with the driver from nearby Peoria holding steady in tenth. One more caution on lap six moved him up to ninth and on the restart he immediately began an intense 4-car battle, including with the reigning series champion. After about five laps of going back and forth, disaster struck going into turn 1 when contact was made with the cushion. Hill went flipping up the banking, but was fine and climbed out. It was an early exit for the driver who is working to gain experience in the D2 series. The car itself sustained damage on the front end, but those repairs will be fairly easy compared to several other teams in the Lincoln Speedway pit area.

Overall it was a good weekend, with the incredible performance at Macon Speedway as the highlight. The car owners were happy with how much experience and track time their driver gained. AJ Hill wants to thank Jeff and Jill Davis for their support, along with Jim Stewart Engines in Indianapolis, Engler Injection, Schoenfeld Headers, K1 Racegear, Steve Thomas Racing and Bell Helmets.

AJ Hill's next scheduled race is Saturday, June 24th at Fayette County Speedway with the D33 midget. For race updates, pictures or to keep up with what is happening between races, 'like' him on Facebook @AJHillRacing33.