Timmy Hill hopping from driver’s seat to high school graduation

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Updated: September 24, 2011 12:21AM

A real youngster in the STP 300 on Saturday night was Nationwide Series rookie Timmy Hill, an 18-year-old from Port Tobacco, Md., who drives the No. 15 Ford for Rick Ware Racing. Hill is going to graduate from North Point (Md.) High School on Tuesday.

Because NASCAR’s age requirement for Sprint Cup, Nationwide and the Camping World Truck series is 18, Hill — who started in the 25th spot Saturday and finished 15th — couldn’t race until Feb. 26 at Phoenix, where he finished 29th. His best showing was April 16 at Talladega, where he finished 14th.

Hill was 10 when he started racing go-karts, taking after his father, Jerry, who used to race trucks for Ware.

‘‘I had to miss Daytona because I wasn’t 18, and I had to miss [10-15 days of] school since the season started,’’ said Hill, who counts Sprint Cup driver Carl Edwards as a mentor. ‘‘Now I can focus more on NASCAR. My friends are pretty cool about it, and they say, ‘Don’t forget about me in the future.’ ’’

Hill is competing for the Nationwide rookie of the year award with Blake Koch.

Just in time

Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski and Edwards flew in from Kansas City, Kan., after qualifying Saturday morning for today’s STP 400 Cup race at Kansas Speedway. They were the only Cup drivers racing in the Nationwide race.

Diagnosis

Trevor Bayne squelched rumors that he has multiple sclerosis, saying in a television interview that he’s being treated for Lyme disease and is on antibiotics. Bayne, who won the Daytona 500 in February, said he noticed an insect bite on his arm two weeks after that race and later experienced fatigue and double vision. The illness sidelined him for over a month; the STP 300 was his first race since Nashville on April 23.

Racing roots

Venturini Motorsports returned to the Chicago area for Saturday’s ARCA race with three drivers: Kyle Fowler, Hal Martin and Josh Richards. Venturini Motorsports started in Chicago in the 1950s before moving to the Charlotte, N.C., area in the early 1990s.