Austin Hill Wins Talladega NASCAR Xfinity Series Race For Season Sweep At The Track
Austin Hill was swept out of the Xfinity Series Playoffs in the Round of 12, but he picked up a different kind of sweep at Talladega.
The Richard Childress Racing driver won all three stages in the United Rentals 250, which was his second win at Talladega this season.
Hill led just 19 of 113 laps and had to hold of playoffs driver Carson Kvapil in overtime for the win. He now has 10 career Xfinity wins on drafting tracks, which extended a record he already held at nine. Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart are tied for second with eight.
Hill dug a hole for his championship hopes at the Indianapolis race, when he intentionally wrecked Aric Almirola and was docked all of his playoffs points. His No. 21 car remains in contention for an owner’s championship, however, and is now locked into the Championship 4.
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“Being able to race for Richard Childress is always special, and to be able to deliver wins like this,” Hill said during his front stretch interview on the CW. “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.”
Part-time driver Almirola won the first race in the Round of 8 at Las Vegas in the No. 19 car to grab it a spot in the owner’s championship finale at Phoenix.
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JR Motorsports drivers Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier earned enough points at Talladega to clinch entries in the driver’s Championship 4, leaving two slots to be filled at Martinsville on Oct. 25.
The current playoffs standings are Zilisch, Allgaier, Jesse Love, Kvapil above the cutline and Sammy Smith (-11), Brandon Jones (-20), Sam Mayer (-22) and Sheldon Creed (-41) below it.