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Monday, May 26, 2008



"Have you heard of Cory Hillman yet?"

"Speed" is what Cory Hillman has in his #01x super bad looking car that races at West Georgia Speedway plus other tracks here in the south. Cory is a young and well talented driver that has all the makings of being a top notch driver that
some day will make his mark in racing. I met Cory Hillman, when he was young and working along side of his famous father "Hurricane" Mike Hillman. He was at the asphalt track located in Senoia, Georgia. I knew Mike because I had known and filmed his brother's hobby car races before they closed the now famous dirt track of Seven Flags Speedway, which was located in Douglasville, Georgia. His brother drove in the hobby class and was one of the top drivers to ever take the track and drive Seven Flags Speedways 3/8th Georgia clay oval track. I filmed many a race there and was doing the last filming before the season the track was closed. Mike was someone I never even knew drove ,until I was walking around the track taking pictures of different cars and drivers and he introduced himself to me, because I was working part time for Motorsportsamerica Magazine and I also was doing the filming of all the races. Mike was driving in the Super Late Model class in car #77 and was always a crowd favorite, he was a huge man that made a impact on racing at the asphalt track located at Senoia Speedway.
Mike had a son that was doing the spotting for him and he would come on the topside where I was filming and talk to his father as he rounded the track, making sure he knew what was ahead of him and telling him to go high or go low. Cory Hillman was young, he was talented and I knew that if his last name was Hillman, he needed to be in a race car, and that day was coming for his son. Cory was finishing school, and playing baseball on a Douglas County team that would go on that would go on to when a title. So you could say Cory was a all around American athlete.
To be honest though, I knew it was just a matter of time before Cory would get a ride and make his name known on dirt tracks racing around the south. After all his name was "Hillman" and that's all that needed to be said. Cory has had car troubles but there was one night down at West Georgia Speedway, he blew the other drivers away and won the race. That made me know that Cory was for real.
When he tasted that first win, he became more of a hungry driver, and to be honest he would sometimes put more pressure on his car that it could take, and then something would always go wrong.
So you have Cory Hillman a young talent of a driver and son of a famous and talented Asphalt driver "Hurricane" Mike Hillman and he also had a famous Uncle "Joe" Hillman who was in a class of his own at Seven Flags Speedway, driving the famous #01J in the hobby division.
In racing, names can mean a lot, Cory Hillman is just that person that can and will someday make it to the big time.
This weekend May 24th, 2008 the Hobby cars came down to West Georgia Speedway to race for the hobby car championship race, where $600 was up for grabs. I knew that the hobby car drivers would show but I never would have imagined that I would look up and see Cory Hillman pulling in with his red #01x race car in tow. It was amazing, and then I had a bigger shock as his uncle Joe Hillman showed up too he was driving car number 92 a orange and white car, a real change from the old days of his famous #01j car. So I knew I was about to see a real hobby car race and I was hoping to see car #92 take a win, I guess I just wanted to see what Joe Hillman would do. He promised me a long time ago that if he won at seven flags speedway that he would do donuts on the front stretch and Joe kept his word, and I still have him spinning his car in circles in front of a cheering crowd. That was Joe, I was hoping to see Cory get out and try and climb the fence at West Georgia Speedway now that would have been a sight ,and I know a sight that no fan would forget.
If you want to meet a nice person, and a all around good driver, all you need to do is hang around Cory Hillman and you will be around the driver of the future, that will become someone special. All Cory needs is some discipline and more judgment when racing his car. He has a tend to wear the car out before it is necessary. He needs taming and you will see one heck of a new fantastic driver and a rising new young star.
Keep your eyes on #01x of Cory Hillman, next time he is at a track where you are watching a race. Cory has the talent, he just needs to learn how not to misuse his car, after all finishing a race is better than breaking down in the middle of one.

GO CORY GO!!!!!!
Tino Patti (a MSA reporter) my blog

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