Less than two months ago, Connor Zilisch had a solid competitor. Austin Hill had left a blazing trail across the NASCAR Xfinity Series\u2019 first 21 races, picking up three trophies. He also had 12 top tens and 9 top fives, accruing 21 playoff points in total. However, Hill lost all his earned credibility after a nasty entanglement with Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Considering the tremendous blow it made to his playoff chances, Hill still has a solid resolve.<\/p>\n
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JR Motorsports went to Victory Lane again at Gateway, with Connor Zilisch hoisting the checkered flag. Meanwhile, Austin Hill finished in 12th place, a decent finish; he also accrued two top fives since his Indianapolis penalty. That proves he still has the championship drive \u2013 and Hill recently acknowledged that.<\/p>\n
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Austin Hill is clenching his teeth now<\/strong><\/p>\n The aggressive maneuvers of Richard Childress\u2019 Xfinity star are well known. He got into a heated conflict with Shane van Gisbergen at COTA in 2024. During the Indianapolis Motor Speedway race on July 26, however, the incident seemed worse. In retaliation for Aric Almirola\u2019s nudge, Hill sharply bumped Almirola\u2019s right-rear fender, turning him into the wall nose-first. As a result, NASCAR held him for five laps in the pits for rough driving and subsequently suspended him for the Xfinity race at Iowa. The latter action axed Hill\u2019s playoff points and cast a dark cloud over his 2025 championship chances. The No. 21 RCR driver at least got a playoff waiver to start over his season\u2019s chances again. And Hill is back with greater power.<\/p>\n If anything, the playoff blow made Austin Hill clench his teeth<\/a>. In a recent interview with journalist Joseph Srigley, Hill initially attempted to soften his words. \u201cYou know, I think it\u2019s just one of those things where NASCAR has to take a stance, and they did. I\u2019m not mad at NASCAR for the decision that they made. They made the decision that they thought was right, whether it was right or wrong.\u201d Due to that decision, Hill now stands five points below the elimination line, setting the stage for a desperate scramble at the upcoming race at Bristol. But Hill is composed for a fiery comeback.<\/p>\n ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Even after #NASCAR<\/a> suspended him (which therefore cost him his Playoff Points), @_AustinHill<\/a> was adamant that an incident at IMS wasn\u2019t intentional.<\/p>\n With his path to a title now way more difficult, over said incident, does Hill feel like he\u2019s been wronged in any way?#NASCAR<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xKT0HutHXt<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Joseph Srigley (@joe_srigley) September 9, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Austin Hill<\/a> issued a bold championship warning to his Xfinity Series rivals. He said, \u201cFor me, 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 several races before the playoffs had started. It kind of fired me up a little bit more, almost kind of made me angry in the sense. But not in the sense that I wanna go and rip everybody\u2019s head off. I wanna show the world\u2026what the 21 team\u2019s capable of, what I\u2019m capable of doing. And that\u2019s to try to win a championship. And I think we can do that, no matter if our backs are against the wall or not.\u201d<\/p>\n This iron resolve may see good fruit in Austin Hill\u2019s 2025 journey. While Hill tackles his Xfinity path, his teammate in the Cup Series is struggling.<\/p>\n Confessing a well-known truth<\/strong><\/p>\n For the last two years, a two-time Cup Series champion has been winless. That is none other than Kyle Busch<\/a>, who is riding an 85-race winless streak. Fans and experts have racked their brains about why this is happening<\/a> and have proposed many theories. But one persistent concept is Richard Childress\u2019 faltering cars, which the team owner himself admitted in Dover earlier this year. And after Sunday\u2019s Enjoy Illinois 300, Austin Dillon is also convinced about this theory. The No. 3 Chevrolet driver won his way into the playoffs in 2025, defending his 2024 Richmond victory. But retaining that playoff spot is getting increasingly difficult for him.<\/p>\n\n