Brutal start to Brickyard weekend for Tim Hill

The No. 98 Ford driven by Timmy Hill had a multitude of issues in Friday’s Sprint Cup practice. In the second session, a 35-pound tungsten weight fell off the car. NASCAR typically takes a dim view of ballast that is not secured properly.

The sanctioning body confiscated the jettisoned weight and will address the matter in next week’s competition meeting.

In Happy Hour, Hill’s Ford spun off Turn 4 and slammed nose-first into the inside wall, forcing his team to go to a backup car. As a tow truck was removing Hill’s car from the track, the back of the car scraped the track, knocking off the rear extension.

Hill didn’t participate in the opening practice session. In hindsight, he might have been better off skipping them all.