"He’s an old-school racer": Richard Childress says Austin Hill denied wrecking Aric Almirola while questioning NASCAR’s judgment

Richard Childress has again defended Austin Hill for the crash involving Aric Almirola. The veteran team owner called Hill an "old‑school racer" and questioned NASCAR's judgment.

During an interview with Kenny Wallace before NASCAR suspended Hill, the team owner described how fast the crash unfolded and said he trusts the Richard Childress Racing No. 21 Chevrolet driver. He explained how Hill was fighting to keep control, but the car shifted left and caused contact with Almirola's rear.

"NASCAR, I hope they take a deep dive into it like we have. Iwent up to Austin after the race and asked him. ... and he would tell me if he did. I know him that good. He said, 'No, I was fighting to hang on to the car and it went left on me.' And I think when it went left on him, that's when the double zero got into his left rear quarter panel. And you look at his hands and everything. He's made a heck of a save," Childress said (11:00 onwards).

"I think, one thing that hurt him maybe a little bit was the comments after the race but he's a high-strung, very competitive, hard racer. He's just a old school racer and sometime you say something no different than me few minutes later. When he got in trouble in Darlington, he said, 'Hey, I've done that, I'm sorry.' You know emotions right there but Saturday, Sunday he did not do it on purpose. Now you know, NASCAR will make the call and whatever it is it is," he added.

Richard Childress had previously called out NASCAR for not suspending Austin Cindric after he had wrecked Ty Dillon during the NASCAR Cup race at COTA earlier this season.

At Indianapolis, Almirola nudged Hill loose entering Turn 3, and Hill then made contact with Almirola's right rear. That sent Almirola nose‑first into the Turn 4 wall. Hill spun but continued the race with a damaged car and finished 34th. Almirola, who finished 35th in the 38-car field, called the contact intentional and one of the hardest hits he has taken in his NASCAR career.

NASCAR penalized Hill five laps for reckless driving during the Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway last weekend. He also angrily berated NASCAR over the radio with multiple expletives.

This Wednesday (July 30th), NASCAR suspended Hill for the upcoming race at Iowa Speedway.

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"That sticks to the crowds" - Richard Childress hints at NASCAR booth announcers' impact on fans' perception

During the interview, Richard Childress stressed that rushed commentary shapes fan views. He said that announcers in the NASCAR booth speak quickly and share what they believe they saw within seconds, which shapes what people think and share on social media.

"The guys setting up in the booth, they got seconds sometime before they start rattling off what they thought they seen or what they seen. And that sticks to the crowds and that sticks to TV and that sticks to social media. It carries on through," Richard Childress said (12:40).

The NASCAR Xfinity Series race, HyVee Perks 250, is scheduled for Saturday, August 2. RCR Cup driver Austin Dillon will replace Hill for the same at the 0.875-mile short track on Saturday.