Georgia’s Austin Hill wins NASCAR Xfinity race in Atlanta
HAMPTON, GEORGIA - JULY 09: Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation and Logistics Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Alsco Uniforms 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on July 09, 2022 in Hampton, Ge
HAMPTON, Ga. - Georgia native Austin Hill claimed his second NASCAR Xfinity win of the season, leading an eight-car train across the line at Atlanta Motor Speedway to set off a raucous celebration in front of the home folks Saturday.
The 28-year-old Xfinity rookie is from Winston, a small town about an hour’s drive from the high-banked track that he considers home.
After a pair of runner-up Truck Series finishes at Atlanta in 2020 and ’21, and another second-place showing behind Ty Gibbs in the track’s spring Xfinity race, Hill finally crossed the line first at the 1.54-mile trioval.
Morning storms wiped out qualifying and practice, but Hill saw plenty of blue skies when he climbed out his No. 21 Chevy in front of the main grandstand.
"I just won in Atlanta," said Hill, who also won the season-opening Xfinity race at Daytona. "That’s so special. I’ve been trying to win here for a long time. I’ve finished second here three times in a row."
Hill overcame a radio problem that prevented him from communicating with his crew. He changed out helmets just before the green flag, to no avail, so he had to get by with hand signals when he wanted to make adjustments
"He did a great job, and his spotter did a great job," car owner Richard Childress said.