Bobby Hillin Jr. | |||||||
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Born |
Midland, Texas |
June 5, 1964 ||||||
Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
334 races run over 17 years | |||||||
Best finish | 9th (1986) | ||||||
First race | 1982 Northwestern Bank 400 (North Wilkesboro) | ||||||
Last race | 2000 goracing.com 500 (Bristol) | ||||||
First win | 1986 Talladega 500 (Talladega) | ||||||
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NASCAR Xfinity Series career | |||||||
115 races run over 14 years | |||||||
Best finish | 19th (1999) | ||||||
First race | 1986 All Pro 300 (Charlotte) | ||||||
Last race | 2009 O'Reilly Challenge (Texas) | ||||||
First win | 1988 Budweiser 200 (Dover) | ||||||
Last win | 1989 GM Parts 300 (Nazareth) | ||||||
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Robert K. "Bobby" Hillin Jr. (born June 5, 1964) is an American driver. He is a former competitor in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NASCAR Busch Series, and once held the record for being the youngest driver ever to win a Winston Cup Series event.
Born in Midland, Texas, Hillin began his career in racing by watching his father's IndyCar team, Longhorn Racing, compete in United States Auto Club-sanctioned sprint car racing and IndyCar events. An all-district linebacker in high school, he began his stock car career at the age of 13; soon after he won the track championship at Odessa Speedbowl in Odessa, Texas, and attended the Buck Baker Driving School at the age of 16.
Hillin made his debut in NASCAR Winston Cup Series competition at the age of 17, driving a car owned and sponsored by his family and crewed by Harry Hyde in the 1982 Northwestern Bank 400 at North Wilkesboro Speedway to a 21st-place finish. Hillin moved to North Carolina to further his career, continuing his education through correspondence courses; he graduated from high school the day before the 1983 Coca-Cola World 600; in 1984 he joined Stavola Brothers Racing, and in 1986 became the youngest winner in NASCAR's "modern era" when he won the Talladega 500 for the team, at the age of 22 years, 1 month and 22 days.
Despite the win, and two wins in the NASCAR Busch Series in 1988 and 1989 driving for Highline Racing, Hillin's career took a downturn; he would later say he was not mature enough to deal with the pressures of being a NASCAR winner. He left the Stavola Brothers team after the 1990 season; he started the 1991 season qualifying a backup car for Moroso Racing fastest in third-round time trials for the Daytona 500. A seventh-place finish in the 500 won Hillin the team's regular ride, however after ten races a lack of sponsorship forced the team to cut back its schedule, and Hillin was released; After two races with Jimmy Means Racing, Hillin was named as substitute driver for Kyle Petty, who had broken his leg earlier in the year in a wreck at Talladega; he drove eight races in the Team SABCO No. 42 before Petty returned.