WAR STORIES MEMORIES - ROY HILL

In the week leading up to the second annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories we will re-publish some of the finest moments from last year's contest. You'll hear some of the finest stories laid down in competition. The program works like this: 16 figures within the drag racing community are voted on by the readers of CompetitionPlus.com to determine who they feel could tell the best story. From that voting, an NHRA professional elimination ladder pairs the contestants and they battle it out until one is left.

Today's story comes from Roy Hill, legendary mountain motor Pro Stock racer. Hill used this story to defeat Bob Glidden to move into the final round where he lost to Scotty Cannon.

 

In the week leading up to the second annual CompetitionPlus.com War Stories we will re-publish some of the finest moments from last year's contest. You'll hear some of the finest stories laid down in competition. The program works like this: 16 figures within the drag racing community are voted on by the readers of CompetitionPlus.com to determine who they feel could tell the best story. From that voting, an NHRA professional elimination ladder pairs the contestants and they battle it out until one is left.

Today's story comes from Roy Hill, legendary mountain motor Pro Stock racer. Hill used this story to defeat Bob Glidden to move into the final round where he lost to Scotty Cannon.

ROY HILL - RUNNER-UP

NOW THAT'S A REAL HOT DOG


mmps_11.jpgI didn't expect to have to bring out the big guns this early in the event but after that close race with Shirley Muldowney in the first round; I ain't taking any chances this time. Knowing Don Schumacher, I had better be on my game.

This dates back to my days with the Petty family and the first time that Richard Petty had an open house.

There was a lot of time and work that went into planning one of these shindigs. We worked real hard, me and Bill Baase, getting things right for it.

One of those days that we were working hard to get things ready, Maurice Petty was having a private party. There were quite a few people there and his shop wasn't more than 500 feet from the main shop. There were some of the head honchos there from STP, Monroe, Union 76 and then some outlaws.

Baase and I had been out and picked up the pigs for grilling and the liquor. I had it all in the back of the pick-up truck.

There was one rule back in those days -- you didn't drink around the Petty complex.

I went driving up there and had one of the pigs up front between me and Baase. We put a hat on it too.

I had about 50 gallons of liquor in the back of the truck. We went over to tell Maurice that we got back with the pigs and didn't mention anything about the liquor. It was covered up in the back with a canvas.

Lee Petty came walking up as we pulled in. When Mr. Lee came around, you stopped what you were doing. He looked up, and asked me where I was going. I told him that I was trying to find Maurice and let him know we were back. He asked about the pig between me and Baase.

I told him, "That's Mr. Oink."

I saw the look on Mr. Lee's face and realized it was time to get out and head on over to Maurice's.

We went over and met up with Warren Trout, he was the head of the parts deal; he was going to oversee the cooking of the pig and about 100 chickens or so. There was going to be a lot of meat that he was responsible for. There was already a few pork shoulders on the grill.

We were awful tired because we had flown in from California and had been awake for about two days and nights.

It was about 2 o'clock and the dogs had been barking behind the cooker and down into the field and in the woods.

Well Maurice called and I quote, "Shut them damned dogs up."

I told Baase to go get my machine gun out of the trunk of the car. He went over and got it and a bazooka too. We didn't know how many dogs we had down there, but I was going to take care of them.


We shot the machine gun and the bazooka down in the woods and that did the trick. We didn't hear any more barking. We keep drinking liquor and laughing about it. The party was on Saturday and I shot the guns on Friday.

Well we had this one guy at the party and I'll call him "T". Well "T" was an outlaw and had gone down in the woods with this lady and while they were down there, they ran across this dog, which was Maurice's favorite dog. The dog was almost cut half in two. They came back and told me and I panicked. I knew we couldn't let Maurice find that dog. I was drinking then. I used to drink a little liquor back in those days. At times we had liquor we bought at the liquor store, but right then we had some high octane stuff.

Well I told "T" in joking to go skin that dog. I should have thought about it because he went and skinned it and brought it back.

What am I going to do because I've done overloaded my mouth by suggesting he do that? I went over and said to the guy working the grill, I'm gonna put this on the backside of the grill and you cook it. Then we'll get rid of it and there won't be any trouble.

It was 5:30 in the morning and I was worn the hell out and needed a nap. Well I forgot about the dog meat. I went in the house and found a place to lay down and take a nap. I woke up the next morning about 10:30 in the morning and I looked out and the place is packed. I showered and shaved and joined the party.

I walked up to Maurice and there was about three people with Maurice, sponsors. They were talking about that meat on the back of the grill that was so good. They wanted to know what it was.

Maurice said, "I think that's one of those deer venison shoulders that Roy shot a few weeks ago."

I wasn’t in my right mind and neither was I thinking. I yelled out without thinking, "Deer venison hell. That's that dog that we shot that you thought so much of and put on the grill."

You talk about some people getting pissed off at Roy Hill. They spent the rest of the day trying to run their fingers down their throats and throw up.

I really don't know what kind of dog it was ... a hound or something ... about the only thing I knew was that it was a dead one and after that party, an eaten one.

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