Mike Hillman Jr., crew chief for Camping World Truck Series championship leader Todd Bodine’s Germain Racing Toyota, was injured on pit road at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Friday evening during a support event. Hillman was a tire carrier on a car in the K&N Pro Series East New Hampshire 125 and was hit on pit road during a pit stop midway through the event. Germain Racing fields a car for Zach Germain and provides technical support for the Hattori Racing Enterprises car of Miguel Paludo. Hillman was first taken to the track’s infield care center where he was checked and then transported by ambulance to a local hospital, a NASCAR spokesman said. “[Hillman] is awake, alert and undergoing testing to determine the injuries to his ankle,” a Germain Racing spokesperson said at 8 p.m. ET. “Mike Jr. hopes to be at the race track on Saturday.”(SceneDaily.com)(9-17-2010)
UPDATE: From Germain Racing twitter…Thank You for all the concern. #Mike HillmanJr will be okay! He is stable after evaluation. It is confirmed has 2 broken bones in his foot/ankle & a dislocated part of his leg. Surgery will be needed after he returns home to NC.(Twitter–Germain Racing)(9-17-2010)
UPDATE 2: Mike Hillman Jr., crew chief for Truck Series points leader Todd Bodine, will be with his team in Las Vegas this weekend after having surgery this week for broken bones in his right leg and foot. Hillman had surgery Tuesday afternoon to insert screws and a metal plate to stabilize the broken bones in his lower leg and foot. Hillman was injured last Friday when he was struck on pit road at New Hampshire by the Germain Racing Toyota driven by Zach Germain during a K&N Pro Series East race. Hillman was carrying tires for the car driven by Miguel Paludo that is also fielded out of the Germain shop. After being treated at the Concord (N.H.) Hospital emergency room on Friday evening, Hillman was on pit road for Saturday’s Truck race, in which Bodine finished ninth. “I feel good,” Hillman said Thursday. “Wednesday I rested a lot. I’ll go to Las Vegas on Friday and try to get our Valvoline Tundra back in Victory Lane and I’ll go back to the doctor on Monday for a follow-up visit. “I don’t expect to need any further surgery, and I can’t thank everyone enough for their calls and concern. It’s helped the healing process a ton.”(NASCAR.com)(9-24-2010)
