Fans aren't convinced by Austin Hill taking center stage at Las Vegas as NASCAR insider shares his top five Xfinity picks

FOX Sports’ Bob Pockrass stirred up debate ahead of Saturday’s Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, picking Austin Hill as his favorite to win. The veteran reporter shared his top-five predictions for the opening race of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Playoffs Round of 8, and fans weren’t too sure about it.

The 201-lap race will decide the first driver in the Championship race at Phoenix. Connor Zilisch leads the playoff standings by 57 points. The JR Motorsports rookie has dominated 2025 with 10 wins, entering Las Vegas as the clear favorite for the title. His teammate and defending champion, Justin Allgaier, is second on +24.

However, Pockrass wrote on X:

“My pick for Vegas today: Austin Hill ... top-5: Hill, Almirola, Allgaier, Zilisch, Jones.”

Bob Pockrass

@bobpockrass

My pick for Vegas today: Austin Hill ... top-5: Hill, Almirola, Allgaier, Zilisch, Jones. ET 2-CW App-Xfin p&q.4:30-TruTV-Cup p&q. 7-CW-Prerace. 7:45-CW-Xfin green. 45-45-111, 5 sets, fuel 60-64.

Fans quickly questioned the pick, noting that Austin Hill’s recent form has been inconsistent despite his past success at Las Vegas.

MRSiebmann

@MR_Siebmann

Austin Hill 🧐? You woke up early, Bob. You sure picking against the #88, #7 & Almirola? Enjoy Vegas🃏👊

🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸DUMB 🫏 TRUCKER🏁🏁🏁

@truckindumbass

Bobby how on earth could u pick against the 88?

rasslin&racin

@Kerrybutno

I like your top 5, but I’d only change to Algaier or Zilisch for 1st and second.

The Richard Childress Racing driver has a career win at the 1.5-mile oval and six straight top-10 finishes. But the fan sentiment was clear, as many expect it to be a JRM-dominated weekend.

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Austin Hill looks to rebound after playoff heartbreak at the Roval

Austin Hill after the NASCAR Xfinity Series Blue Cross NC 250 at Charlotte. Source: Getty

Austin Hill’s title bid came to an end at the Charlotte Roval, where mechanical issues ended his hopes of advancing. He was in contention until Lap 50, when engine issues forced him to finish 28th, 21 points shy of progression.

It was the same number of points NASCAR penalized his No. 21 team for.

“Felt really good about our chances and then uh yeah, it was just kind of a light switch,” Hill said after the race, via Frontstretch. “It let go on me and we couldn’t get it fixed in time under the caution. I’m not pointing the finger at anyone. If anyone’s at fault, it’s me for losing the 21 bonus points in the regular season. So, we’re just going to go on to Las Vegas, Talladega, Martinsville, try to win some of those, steal the show a little bit, then go to Phoenix and do the same thing.”

Earlier in the season, NASCAR suspended him for contact with Aric Almirola in the Indianapolis race, which took away 21 playoff points.

Still, Hill remains optimistic, finishing the season strong. Las Vegas has historically suited him well, with an average finish of 9.0 in the Next Gen era and consistent top-10 pace. Justin Allgaier enters Vegas as the strongest contender. He has a 4.3 average finish in the Next Gen era and won the spring race earlier this year.

The green flag is set to drop at 7:30 p.m. ET.