2014 Hall of Fame
Eli Patrick
Legendary MIR Racer &
Sponsor
Eli Patrick has really
ramped up his
involvement with MIR
since Royce Miller
assumed the helm in
1990, but he has been
coming here for years.
Eli was instrumental in
establishing the
successful and popular
Fun Ford racing events.
Royce reached out to Eli
18 years ago with an
idea for a special Ford
only event and Eli used
his vast network of
contacts and influence
at Ford to make it
happen. The events
started as one day deals
and now have turned into
three day blue oval
extravaganzas! Eli was
largely responsible for
the growth of these
popular weekends for
Ford fans. In addition,
Eli has been very
generous to MIR in
offering the continual
use of many trucks at
MIR. These work horses
take care of just about
any job needed at the
track. Eli makes sure
that he rotates-in fresh
trucks consistently so
that MIR always has the
latest and greatest
trucks for use at the
track.
Eli has set a high
standard in Ford Pro
Stock racing as well,
with many wins and
headlines coming right
here at MIR. Eli’s team
won the world famous
Mountain Motor Nationals
three times and they won
17 International Hot Rod
Association national
events. With son Robert
at the wheel, Eli’s team
won the $20,000 TORCO
Pro Stock showdown right
here at MIR in 2006.
They followed that up
with the 2007 IHRA Pro
Stock World
Championship. Eli was
instrumental in putting
together the deal to run
the first ADRL Pro Stock
Race at MIR. Of course,
the Patrick family then
won it!
Eli Patrick has competed
in the highly
competitive Pro Stock
class in both IHRA and
NHRA for more than two
decades. His team held
the IHRA Pro Stock speed
and elapsed time record
four different times.
Today, the team
continues its
competitive racing
efforts with a Pro
Modified car that runs
10 to 12 PDRA events a
year and they also
returned to Pro Stock at
NHRA Gainesville in
2014! The team also runs
the Fun Ford series, and
son Robert just won the
2014 Richmond event.
Eli and his team started
racing IHRA Pro Stock
full time in 1993. The
Purvis Ford team
represented Ford in the
IHRA while Bob Glidden
represented Ford in the
NHRA. The team scored
their first national
event win at Norwalk
1993, and then won at
Epping, and then won at
Bristol! Overall, the
team won IHRA Norwalk
three times. Eli had the
IHRA Motorcraft deal in
1993 and then the IHRA
Ford Quality Care deal
from 1994 to 1996, while
Bob Glidden ran the same
sponsorships in the NHRA
series.
When Ford pulled their
sponsorship of Pro Stock
at the end of 1996, Eli
traveled to Indiana and
bought out Bob Glidden’s
complete inventory! He
then raced NHRA
exclusively from 1997 to
2003. Running the Ford
in the NHRA, the team
had a few semifinal
finishes but really
didn't have enough money
to compete on the NHRA
tour. The only time the
team didn't run a Ford
was when Robert filled
in for Billy Huff at the
NHRA Chief Auto Parts
Nationals race at Ennis,
Texas. There, they beat
Warren Johnson in the
semifinals but lost to
Kurt Johnson in the
finals. After the 2003
season, Eli headed back
to his roots with IHRA
and huge Ford Mountain
Motors!
Eli is 72 years old and
he's worked at a car
dealership for his
entire career. He began
work on a grease rack at
a West Virginia car
dealership at 16 years
old. In 1972, he began
as the used car manager
at Purvis Ford in
Fredericksburg,
Virginia. In 1976, he
was brought in as an
operating partner of
George Purvis. In 1993,
George Purvis passed
away and Eli has owned
the business ever since.
Robert's twin sister
Emily Joyce Patrick
works every day with Eli
at the dealership. And
Bonnie Patrick, the
matriarch of the family,
keeps everyone in check.
She has been
to every drag race the
family has ever
attended! The Patricks
are moving Purvis Ford
into the future with a
complete renovation of
the dealership that is
about halfway complete.
They have 135 employees
and each one of them is
treated like family,
with many employees on
staff for decades. We at
MIR have been proud to
have Eli Patrick as part
of our family for
decades as well!
Eli Patrick, MIR Legend!
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