“Means the world to me”: Austin Hill makes feelings known on securing RCR’s place in the final championship battle

Richard Childress Racing Xfinity Series Racing driver Austin Hill secured his fourth win of the 2025 season. He won the United Rentals 250 held at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, October 18, and during a post-race interview with NASCAR, he opened up about his emotions on RCR securing a spot in the owner's championship.

The #21 Chevy driver had a decent qualifying session for the 100-lap race at the 2.66-mile track. He secured a fifth-place start with a best time of 52.79 seconds and a top speed of 181.41 mph. Meanwhile, his #2 Chevy teammate, Jesse Love, was 0.18 seconds ahead of him and secured the pole position.

Austin Hill soon took the lead from Love and won both stage one and two of the race. Meanwhile, his teammate was a few spots behind him, securing additional stage points. Hill then maintained his dominance in the final stage of the race and crossed the finish line 0.105 seconds ahead of JRM driver Carson Kvapil.

Despite being eliminated from the championship, Hill's Talladega victory guaranteed his team a spot in the owner's championship. Reflecting on that, the RCR driver told NASCAR:

“As the playoff started and us getting knocked out the way we did, it stung a lot, but once we knew we were still in it for the owner’s championship, I decided I’d do it just like I would going for a driver’s championship. To be able to lock ourselves in and go to Phoenix knowing we’re going for an owner’s championship and be able to try and deliver one to Richard Childress Racing means the world to me.”

Austin Hill's teammate lost some ground in the final stage of the race and wrapped the 100-lap event among the top ten drivers. Love finished in P10 and led 19 laps. Meanwhile, Hill won the race, leading 48 laps. Additionally, Love currently ranks third in the Xfinity Series playoff points table with a 40-point buffer above the cutoff line.

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"I'm not pointing the finger at anyone": Austin Hill got candid about ending his championship hopes

NASCAR driver Austin Hill was featured in an interview after wrapping the Charlotte ROVAL race held on October 4, 2025. During the interaction, Hill opened up about his exit from the Xfinity Series contendership, recalling the penalty at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race.

The #21 Chevy driver has been struggling in the 2025 postseason. He secured two mid-pack finishes at Gateway and Bristol, finishing in 12th and 19th place, respectively. Later, he recovered at Kansas Speedway, clinching a P3 finish. However, the Charlotte race sealed his fate.

Austin Hill qualified 16th for the 68-lap race and finished in P28, ending his chances to advance to the Round of Eight playoffs. Reflecting on the same, the #21 Chevy driver stated:

"I mean, you win as the team, and you lose as the team. I'm not pointing the finger at anyone, if anyone's that followed us, 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."

Austin Hill currently ranks ninth in the Xfinity Series playoff points table with 2177 points. He has secured four wins, 17 top tens, and 13 top fives in 30 starts. Additionally, he led 355 laps with an average start of 9.567 in this season.