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Mr. Roger Dale Hill, 64 of Westfield, NC passed
away Thursday at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston Salem. He was
born in Patrick County on April 9, 1947 to the late James Alvin Hill
and Virginia Gray Hill of Westfield NC. Roger was the proud owner of
Hill Enterprises for over 25 years and a W.M.T. series race car,
known as “Hillbilly Racing”. He loved racing second only to his
family. His other hobbies included maintaining corn hole champion
status with his friend, “Yankee Jon” and collecting “Roger’s
menagerie of animals” which included but was not limited to horses,
donkeys, llamas, emus, miniature horses and donkeys, and peacocks.
Mr. Hill is survived by his wife of 43 years, Sandra Hamm Hill of
the home; two sons and a daughter-in-law, David Hill & Susan Gammons
of Westfield and Dale Hill & wife, Amanda of Westfield; his mother,
Virginia Gray Hill of Westfield; six grandchildren, Derrick Hill,
Tara Hill, Allison Hill, Dale Jr. Hill, J.D. Gammons and Casey
Gammons; two brothers and a sister-in-law, Jerry Hill & wife, Jessie
and James Michael Hill all of Westfield; two sisters and a
brother-in-law, Renae Harper & husband, Mark of Apex, NC and Tammy
Merritt of Westfield, NC; a honorary son, Daniel Hemrick of
Kannapolis, NC and a special friend, “Yankee Jon” Jon Siglain of
Westfield, NC.
Funeral services for Mr. Hill will be held on Monday, January 9,
2012 at 3:00pm at State Line Primitive Baptist Church with Pastor
Dr. Jerry Whitlow, Rev. Ricky Rogers, and Rev. Bobby Dalton
officiating. Burial will immediately follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends Sunday evening from 6:00pm until
8:00pm at Moody Funeral Home in Stuart, Virginia and other times at
the home. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made
to Stateline Cemetery Fund, c/o Carroll Dalton, 1448 Stateline
Church Road, Westfield, NC 27053. Online condolences may be sent by
visiting
www.moodyfuneralservices.com .
Published 1-8-12 Moody Funeral Services
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Whelen Modified
Car Owner Passes
Roger Hill Fielded Cars For More Than Two Decades
Roger Hill had an association with
the Whelen Modified Tour that dated to the late 1980s.
Bobby Everhart Photo |
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By Jason Cunningham &
Tim Southers, NASCAR
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The NASCAR Whelen Modified and Whelen Southern
Modified Tours lost a member of the family Thursday after Roger
Hill, owner of the No. 79 and No. 19 cars, passed away following a
brief illness.
Hill and his wife, Sandra, have owned cars that competed in the
Whelen Modified Tour since the 1980s. Based in Westfield, N.C.,
Hill’s team – Hillbilly Racing – trekked to the northeast to compete
full-time in the Whelen Modified Tour year after year. Since the
Whelen Southern Modified Tour was formed in 2005, the team has also
often competed in those events on weekends that did not conflict
with the northern-based tour.
“Roger will be greatly missed as a competitor in both modified
tours,” said NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour Series Director Chad
Little. “But it’s his passion for the tours that will be missed the
most. His dedication to NASCAR modified racing is nearly
unparalleled.”
Hill made 46 starts as a part-time driver on the Whelen Modified
Tour from 1988 until 1996, when he stepped out from behind the
wheel. The team has featured multiple drivers in the seat since that
time, most recently James Civali in 2011. Daniel Hemric was tabbed
by Hill to pilot the No. 79 for 2012.
Hillbilly Racing has enjoyed success through the years with Roger
and Sandra’s son, David, leading the team as crew chief. Hill’s
legacy in NASCAR modified racing extended to a third generation in
2011 when David’s son, Derrick, made his debut behind the wheel of
the Hillbilly No. 19 in the Whelen Southern Modified Tour race at
Bowman Gray Stadium.
Aside from his dedication to the sport, the personal touch and
generosity that Hill brought to the sport will also be remembered
and missed throughout the racing community.
“I valued my relationship with Roger very much,” Little said. “He
always took the time to help me understand a competitor’s
perspective in a respectful manner, and I appreciated that. He was
instrumental in my learning process since I became the series
director.” |
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