An otherwise great day at the Blast was marred by the passing of Billy Hancock… After making about five laps on the track in early practice, he pulled up to his trailer and suffered a massive heart attack while still in the driver’s seat. Despite great effort by the EMT’s and the folks who attended to him immediately after he was stricken, Billy could not be revived. Even the prayers from Chaplain Bill Ross, who was at his side, could not help as God felt it was time to take another one of our legendary drivers home.
Our thoughts and prayers are with his family today…
Billy raced a number of cars over the years but I best remember him driving Al Stageberg’s Plymouths… Unfortunately it wasn’t long ago that All passed away… Maybe he just needed a driver for his car up in heaven…
The photo is Billy Hancock in Al’s Plymouth back in 1966…
I am sorry to hear about losing a driver during your event. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.
It was very hard Cara and even harder to write a story for yesterday although it was a fantastic day. Took me back to when we lost Homer that night in his racecar. The hardest part was his 10 year old daughter was there at the track and she said that God needed a new angel and took her daddy. That was really, really hard.
Otherwise the day was great. So many fantastic old racers having such a great time and so many cars, it was fantastic. Sorry you missed it because you would have loved it. Great seeing Bobby Brack in person since I have always heard so much about him and seeing Dickie back behind the wheel of a racecar again. Just a great day except for the sadness of the early morning.
Hopefully I will get up a gallery on my website of the pictures I took. Just have problems with my gallery right now but I will post when they are up.
Jane
billy was a friend of my dads in the 60s an 70s 1 of the gang from pinellas park ole fl power line men tough as a good nail such as shame :engel016: wish we could all go doing something we love god blees billy and to his family
What can you say,billy wouldn’t have gone any other way.you can bet he was a happy man, doing what he loved.he always said earnhart went out a hero doing what he loved,well billys a hero for sure.a true racing legend,you will be greatly missed.but legends live forever.god speed billy.