NASCAR – GETTY IMAGES PHOTO
Winston, Georgia’s own Austill Hill won the season opening Xfinity Series Race at Daytona for the 3rd year in a row.
Hill started the race sharing the front row with his Richard Childress Racing teammate, Jesse Love. Both drivers dominated the 30 lap first stage race, with Love edging Hill by inches for the first stage checkered flag.
Lap 37 saw Love get loose from bump-drafting while running three-wide exiting turn two, collecting several cars in the ensuing wreck. Austin Hill was spun-out in the grass by a right front collision with John Hunter Nemechek, but Hill’s pit crew did an excellent job patching up the damage to the No. 21 Bennett Transport Chevrolet. Hill then managed to make his way back to the front to claim the 2nd stage win.
On the ensuing pit stop, Austin Hill was assessed two penalties for speeding on pit road and sliding through his pit stall box. He had to then rejoin the race at the back of the field. The number 21 driver had several setbacks during the race but had little trouble working through the pack to find his way back to the front.
A multi-car crash with eight laps remaining, brought out the ninth caution of the night and one final restart.
With three laps to go the field restarted the race with Austin Hill’s fellow Georgian, Chandler Smith from Talking Rock, roaring to the lead. On the final lap, Hill was leading race with his former teammate Sheldon Creed running 2nd. Ryan Sieg was running 3rd when he spun-out, scattering the field of drivers behind him.
With no caution flag issued on the last lap wreck, Austin Hill stretched out his lead over the 2nd place Creed by five car lengths to claim his third consecutive victory in the Xfinity Series opener at Daytona.
Sheldon Creed claimed 2nd place and his teammate Chandler Smith finished 5th giving the Joe Gibbs Toyota Racing Team two top five finishers for the race. Jordan Anderson Racing claimed the same honor, finishing 4th and his fellow teammate Parker Retziaff finished 3rd.
All seven of Austin Hill’s victories for Richard Childress Racing have been won on Super Speedways. The Winston, Georgia native heads to Atlanta in four days to defend his back-to-back wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday February 24th.
NASCAR WEEKEND SCHEDULE FOR ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY 2024
Saturday, Feb. 24 — NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, 2 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, Feb. 24 — NASCAR Xfinity Series, 5 p.m. ET (FS1)
Sunday, Feb. 25 — NASCAR Cup Series, 3 p.m. ET (FOX)