CHARLOTTE, N.C. \u2014 A three-race winner this year in the No 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet, driver Austin Hill heads into the 2025 Playoffs with reason to be optimistic but also cognizant of the challenge ahead.<\/p>\n
A big penalty for rough driving at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in July cost Hill all his accumulated Playoff points and puts him in an immediate position to play catch-up.<\/p>\n
He begins the seven-race Playoff stretch ranked last among the 12 competitors, minus-five points to eighth-place Taylor Gray with only eight drivers advancing after the opening round of races \u2013 Friday at Bristol, Sept. 27 at Kansas Speedway and Oct. 4 at the Charlotte ROVAL.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just going to do the same thing I\u2019ve done each and every year,\u201d said Hill, who has maintained he is not a rough driver despite the one-race suspension and points-penalty he received for crashing into Aric Almirola at Indy.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I know I don\u2019t have a lot of enemies on the race track,\u201d he continued. \u201cI probably have a few, but I think once the Playoffs start, I think it\u2019ll be just like everyone else. Everybody\u2019s going to be going for it and you only worry about your race team and your organization and go out and get the job done and try to get to the Championship Four.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hill acknowledged the penalty has made his path to a title harder. But he\u2019s turned the challenge into motivation.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me, I think going into the Playoffs and not having the Playoff points and all that just kind of gave me a little bit more determination in these last few races before the Playoffs started, kind of fired me up a little bit more,\u201d Hill said. \u201cAlmost made me angry in a sense. \u2026 just that I want to show the world and all the outside noise what this 21-team is capable of and what I\u2019m capable of doing and that\u2019s to try and win a championship and I think we can do that no matter if our backs are to the walls or not.\u201d<\/p>\n
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