LOUDON, N.H. -- Mike Hillman Jr.'s history of never voluntarily missing a race as a crew chief will continue Saturday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway as, despite multiple injuries suffered on pit road Friday, he'll head championship-leader Todd Bodine's Germain Racing team in the Truck Series race.

"I'm a little sore," Hillman Jr. said Saturday after watching Bodine qualify ninth for the race. "It's been a long night, but we got our Germain Tundra running really good [Saturday], and we got a top-10 qualifying spot and we'll see what we can do in the race."

“

This team doesn't need motivation -- they work hard every day. I'm just lucky to be surrounded by such a great group of guys. I only came in for a couple minutes [Saturday] morning because I was resting. They take care of things. I'm going to come out and call the race and hang out with them, but if I wasn't here, they could handle it because these guys are awesome.

”

-- MIKE HILLMAN JR.

Earlier Saturday morning, his father, Germain Racing general manager Mike Hillman, stepped away from his team's truck in the inspection line and said doctors would have done surgery Friday night on his son, who dislocated his right ankle, tearing ligaments and tendons and breaking multiple bones in his lower leg and foot "if Mike lived here."

A team spokesperson said Hillman Jr. would be reevaluated when he returned to North Carolina to determine whether or not surgery was necessary.

For a time, Friday night was touch-and-go, his father said Saturday morning.

"They actually sedated him twice and set it twice [Friday] night, and they'd checked us out [of the Concord Hospital emergency room] once when the orthopedic surgeon came back and said he wanted to set it again," Hillman said. "[Mike] feels good. He's over at the coach shaving and he'll be over in a bit.

"The race track's been real good to work with and they're getting [Hillman Jr.] a wheelchair. I told him the only way he can go to Las Vegas [location of next weekend's race is if he does everything he's supposed to."

Hillman said his son, 31, was one of a number of Germain Racing over-the-wall crewmen that were servicing the two K&N Pro Series East cars fielded out of the company's Mooresville, N.C., facility -- the Germain Racing No. 24 Toyota driven by Zach Germain and the No. 77 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota driven by Miguel Paludo that Germain Racing fields through a "technical alliance" with owner Shigeaki Hattori.

On a pit stop early in the 125-lap race, with the two cars pitted in adjacent pit stalls, Hillman Jr., who was working as a tire carrier, was struck by Germain's car.

"[K&N East] only allows five men over the wall, so [Hillman Jr.] was carrying both tires, like in the old days," Hillman said. "These guys are young and they haven't done many races -- they've only done about four pit stops. Miguel stopped real far forward in his box and when Zach came into his box, he cut it a little tight and hit the tire Mike was carrying in his left hand."

Hillman said the impact with the left-front fender spun his son around, onto the car's windshield and in the process, his right extremity injuries occurred. A witness in the grandstand across from pit road said his teammates initially tried to lift Hillman Jr. to his feet, but he was unable to stand.

"I really don't remember a whole bunch about it," Hillman Jr. said. "I banged my head a little bit and my leg. I give NASCAR a lot of credit [for] the firesuits and helmets and safety equipment [required] on pit road. They've worked really hard on the drivers to keep them safe, but the rules they have on pit road for the guys really helped me [Friday]."

Paludo, a Brazilian who earlier this season made his Truck Series debut in a Germain truck at Bristol and finished ninth, ended up fourth Friday. Hillman said "both the guys were pretty shook-up after it happened, and it took them about 25 laps to get calmed backed down and back into the race." Germain was eliminated after 73 laps in an accident, according to NASCAR's race report.

After being taken to the infield care center at the track, Hillman Jr. was taken by ambulance to Concord Hospital, about 15 miles away.

Hillman Jr. has been the team's crew chief since 2005, his father said, and hasn't missed a race "except for a couple times when he's been suspended." Hillman Jr. was suspended for four races at the beginning of the 2008 season after a technical violation at Daytona; and then for another race in September 2008, "after we got in a little fight [at NHMS with David Starr's crew]."

Before transitioning into the crew chief's role, where he's followed in his father's footsteps, Hillman Jr. was an over-the-wall crewman, including changing rear tires for Greg Biffle's Cup team in 2003-2004.

Bodine has a 261-point lead on Aric Almirola, who starts sixth Saturday, with seven races remaining. Hillman Jr. said his injury would have no impact on his crew.

"This team doesn't need motivation -- they work hard every day," Hillman Jr. said. "I'm just lucky to be surrounded by such a great group of guys. I only came in for a couple minutes [Saturday] morning because I was resting. They take care of things.

"I'm going to come out and call the race and hang out with them, but if I wasn't here, they could handle it because these guys are awesome."

Bodine said he had no doubt what his team leader would do.

"He's not going to miss this race by no means -- he's going to be here," Bodine said. "We can't do this without our coach. We have [Mike Hillman] Senior here. Senior is more than capable but it's like a good football team. When things are going your way, and you've got that rhythm and things are working, you don't want to disrupt it.

"Junior is so good at making these calls and understanding how these races run and the different strategies that are involved -- you don't want to interrupt that. You want to keep that flow, and he knows what I like in a truck. He knows how to make the adjustments and there's no way you're going to keep him from this race, I guarantee you."

Related:
• Hillman Jr. hurt on pit road at New Hampshire