There's No Senior Circuit In Racing So Eddie Hill Will Keep Beating The Kids

It's often said that by the time you reach your sixtieth birthday life tends to look like it's passing by pretty quick.

But for top fuel dragster Eddie Hill, faster is better and the fastest is yet to come. Eddie turned sixty on March 6.

He's two years from Social Security and less than 5.0 seconds from his next finish line.

His first competitive rush to the finish line was almost 50 years ago. It was l947 and the ll-year-old Eddie won a trophy in the Tri-State Motor Scooter Flat Track Championships at Shreveport, Louisiana on a Cushman.

In l956 he started competing seriously, driving his mother's '55 Chevrolet in a stock class. From then on it was a continuous pursuit of speed, interrupted a time or two by good intentions. But he kept coming back to the track.

He has raced dragsters, boats and motorcycles leaving a lasting impression on each sport. He once simultaneously held the speed records in both water and land racing.

After ll years racing boats Eddie sustained serious injuries in l984 when he was thrown through the hull of a boat at 2l7 mph. He broke seven bones and suffered a concussion, eye injuries and multiple cuts and bruises.

When he recovered he decided to go back to racing on pavement, "where it was safe."

In l987 at the age of 52 he set an NHRA top speed record of 285.98 mph and his low elapsed time (E.T.) up to then of 5.098 seconds.

It was the following year that he became a Pennzoil driver and had a record year on the track. He set the world E.T. record of 4.990 seconds at the Texas Motorplex to become the first man ever to break through the 5-second barrier. Through l993 he had recorded l58 runs in the 4-second bracket, and 54 in the 4.7 to 4.8 second range.

With his Pennzoil contract still intact, Eddie is easily the oldest professional athlete under contract.

Eddie Hill is two years away from Social Security and less than five seconds away from his next finish line. After more than four decades in racing, he's still competing and winning. With his Pennzoil contract, the legendary Hill is the oldest professional athlete under contract in the U.S.