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NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill raced about an hour from his hometown and overcame a scare at Turn 4 to score a hometown hat-trick during Saturday’s caution-filled Raptor King of Tough 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway .
Hill, who hails from Winston, Georgia, withstood a streak-record 11 bookings to secure his third win in five events this season. He is only the third rider in Xfinity history to accomplish this feat, following Mark Martin (1997 and 2000) and Kyle Busch (2011, ’13 and ’16).
“That was tough to win,” Hill said during a live post-race interview with Fox Sports.
Tough, but considering Parker Kligerman finished P4 while spinning backwards, “It’s really special,” he said.
Here’s a look at the end of the race @ATLMotorSpdwy. pic.twitter.com/GoPTUfMyUK
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 19, 2023
Austin Hill: ‘I thought I screwed it up’, but the ending was ‘cool’
In a race he led by 103 revs three times, Hill doglegged the front stretch and battled Parker Kligerman and Daniel Hemric for the lead. While the outside lane was the chosen groove, Hill was on the inside and “I thought I screwed up,” he said. “The outside is where you needed to be.”
But after Kligerman, who was racing on the outside, broke free and touched Hill’s Chevrolet, Hill was somehow able to stay in control. As Kligerman spun, Hill maintained the forward momentum, beating Hemric by 0.085s to the start/finish line.
“I don’t know how I saved it,” Hill said, “but it will be cool to see.”
Ryan Truex, who placed a career-best P2 in Phoenix last Saturday, finished third on his birthday, beating Kligerman by 0.001 seconds.
Hill won the spring race in Atlanta for the second year in a row. After Saturday’s win burnouts, Hill was greeted by his young daughter running through the infield.
🤗🤗🤗@_AustinHill | @RCRracing pic.twitter.com/uPtb19KI2b
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 19, 2023
Justin Allgaier: “I have nothing good to say”
On the final lap of overtime, Hill said he would ride “Wreckers or Checkered,” meaning his second year running in Victory Lane or his Richard Childress Racing machine towed off the familiar 1.54 mile track would .
“Growing up in Georgia, I knew it was going to be tough,” Hill said.
But did he realize how tough the final round of OT was going to be?
“When the .48[Kligerman]hit me on the right rear, I thought I was going for the outer wall,” Hill said. “But I was able to collect it and bring it home. That’s so special.”
Not so much for Justin Allgaier, who dropped out and spoke up.
“To be honest, it’s pretty sad,” said Allgaier, who finished 29thth. “The sport is kind of embarrassing for me at the moment. The (track) doesn’t have much grip and everyone is just holding on for their lives.
“I have nothing good to say.”
Maybe he should talk to Hill.