Austin Hill Not Liking the Taste of His Own Medicine With Shane van Gisbergen Hitting Back at COTA

The Xfinity race at COTA was arguably one of the most dramatic in recent times. Austin Hill found himself on the receiving end of a fierce battle with Shane van Gisbergen. Their beef is now an element of discussion with the NASCAR community. Both of these drivers engaged in a battle throughout the final stage to go for the win. Sadly, neither one of them could taste success.

HMS star Kyle Larson saw the opportunity to dodge past them in his first Xfinity victory for his team. On the flip side, Austin Hill is getting criticized and labeled as a ‘crybaby‘ by fans and critics, after he got mad at SVG’s retaliation.

NASCAR spotter and insiders talk about the Austin Hill vs. SVG battle

The Door Bumper Clear squad sat down to discuss various aspects of the Xfinity Series race at COTA. Freddie Kraft raised the question of Austin Hill complaining while he only received back what he started. He was agreed upon by his fellow host, T.J. Majors, who similarly thought that it did not make any sense.

Griffin said, “He lined him up into the one; I mean, he didn’t go in there and wreck him, but he moved him out of the way. So that he couldn’t, he would get the same thing that happened to him back. Yeah, well, I mean, SVG did hit him much harder, but I think at that point, SVG is saying if I’m not winning this race, you’re not winning this race either, like, either I’m gonna move you and I’m gonna win or Larson’s gonna win but you’re not if you move me you’re not gonna win. He didn’t wreck him but he definitely got him out of the way I mean and it was he wrecked himself really the car, think I was the last he took him it was.”

Majors further added, “I mean, you know, I don’t know, it’s hard. how a guy can complain about you know the what I look at is where Austin Hill messed up. Was it, he didn’t do a good enough job when he hit him to get away from him and stay away from him. If you’re going to do that you’ve got to do it enough to where the guy can’t get back to you. Cause if he gets back to you 100% know what’s getting ready to happen you got by him because you hit him if he gets back to you.”

The race’s finale signaled the close of a day filled with black flags and heated clashes, leaving both drivers utterly frustrated. Not as much for Larson, though, who used the most out of this. Wonder how it all started?

RCR star shocked as Shane van Gisbergen retaliated on Turn 15

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Shane van Gisbergen led for 20 laps, sharing the lead with his Kaulig Racing teammate, A.J. Allmendinger. SVG’s No. 97 WeatherTech Chevrolet controlled the final restart during NASCAR overtime. However, Austin Hill closely followed SVG, maintaining bumper-to-bumper contact as they ascended the hill into the tight hairpin of Turn 1. In a dramatic turn of events, SVG ran wide, allowing Hill to surge ahead and potentially secure his third win of 2024.

But the New Zealander had other countermeasures prepared. He aggressively used his front bumper, colliding with Hill’s rear bumper at Turn 15, pushing both cars wide. This maneuver created an opening for Kyle Larson, who capitalized on the chaos and charged past both SVG and Hill to claim victory. SVG ultimately finished second, but a 30-second time penalty was imposed post-race for track shortcutting on the final lap, relegating him to 27th place. Hill secured the runner-up position in this intense battle on the track.

“I’d have to watch the replay, but getting into 15, I’m trying to protect. And it felt like from my perspective, the 97 (SVG) just ran through us. And I mean you see his front end, it’s caved in really bad. So he didn’t even give us a chance to make the corner obviously,” Austin Hill said after the race.

Read More: Kyle Larson Rubbishes Dirt Superiority Battle Narrative After Unexpected Truce With $144-Million Worth Rival

By the looks of it, can this brew into a bigger rivalry this season?