I was lucky enough to meet Billy, Boone, and Papa Gebhart at the March Meet one year. I happened to be in SoCal for work and took a couple of days to experience the event. Walking through the pits, I came across the unmistakable pit area containing Billy’s Valiant and the Barnyard Viper. All I did was introduce myself as Stealthwedge from Mopart’s, and Billy smiled and immediately made me feel like a longtime friend. The first pass I watched of his that day, the hood flew off the Valiant and flipped into the air at a little over half track. I made my way back to his pit to see if I could help with anything. I was amazed to find that While Billy was spinning a yarn over the incident, he wasn’t worried about the damage whatsoever. It was clearly looked at as an opportunity to finally put “the right” hood on the valiant. I quickly learned that this was Billy, enjoying everything that each moment had to offer.

I’m really glad I got to meet him that weekend. Rest In Peace my friend.