Austin Hill’s commanding performance at Homestead-Miami made his victory seem almost inevitable. The win propelled him into the Top 4, providing valuable breathing room before the challenging Martinsville chapter. An emotional Hill emerged from his No. 21 Chevrolet, his relief and gratitude palpable.

This timely victory eased Hill’s worries about securing a spot at Martinsville, where the stakes escalate. With renewed confidence, he can now concentrate on the ultimate prize: the championship crown at Phoenix Speedway.

Hill sweeps off the victory at Miami, puts up an impressive performance

This victory marks Hill’s first-ever Top 4 entry to the championship, making the win even more special. It was Hill’s fourth win this year and the tenth of his Xfinity career. Notably, Hill also swept both Stages. While the win may appear effortless, it was actually a hard-fought battle. With 40 laps to go, AJ Allmendinger was in control. As Allmendinger was already secure in the Top 4, he gambled on a late caution, conserving his final set of tires. This strategic move inadvertently benefited Austin Hill. When Allmendinger pitted with 20 laps remaining, Custer took the lead. Hill ultimately emerged victorious, crossing the finish line 3.045 seconds ahead of Custer.

Swept by a wave of relief and reacting to this win, Hill said, “I was running this kind of weird line in one and two, that was working really well for me. It was creating speed and then I had a kind of somewhat weird line in 3 and 4. That was working really well for me. And once I found that line that worked for me really well, I just stuck to it all day. I didn’t try to , I mean I moved around a little bit to try to find speed but for the majority of the race, I just went with what worked until they told me my lap times were slowing down I just obviously did not change anything. So our Bennett Chevrolet was just super fast all day. Everybody at RCR and ECR Engines brought just a really fast Chevy and can’t thank everybody enough for giving me this opportunity to be able to win this race and not worry about Martinsville is a huge relief off my shoulders. Because going into Martinsville, I get to have some fun”. The Chevrolet seemed to be under Hill’s complete control and the smooth maneuvers added to the speed. This ensured that Hill could be at a safe victory spot. 

Consequently, as Hill savors this victory, he can’t help but draw comparisons to his 2019 triumph in the Truck Series at Homestead-Miami. That win marked his first at Miami and his fourth overall for the 2019 season and his career. Behind the wheel of a powerful Chevy truck, he dominated the Ford EcoBoost 200 NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series, showcasing a similar command as he did in his latest Xfinity race. Austin Hill secured victory, crossing the finish line 1.569 seconds ahead of Matt Crafton, who was racing for Hattori Racing Enterprises at the time. Reacting to his prior win, Hill said, “I’ve done you know a similar thing here at Homestead in the Truck Series. Back in 2019 we had a really fast track that day, led a lot of laps, and won the race, and that 2019 race in the trucks felt very close to what we had today. Just I could run the bottom better than anybody else all day”. Austin Hill seems to be in a comfortable spot now that he has sealed the deal. Claiming eleven top 5s and nineteen Top 10s, Hill is a very strong contender to battle with. The extra time at hand ensures that Hill has that space to formulate his winning strategy for Phoenix.

Who Could Claim the Spot at Martinsville?

Austin Hill’s victory and direct entry into the Top 4 have sparked speculation among fans about who will take the lead at Martinsville and claim the remaining spot. Last year’s Spring Race saw fan favorite Cole Custer finish third, despite never having secured a win on this track. In the latest race, Chandler Smith claimed third place, while Jesse Love finished ninth in his sole Martinsville appearance, leaving him eager to improve. Sam Mayer, a strong contender, secured second place in the spring Martinsville race and has achieved top-six finishes in four of his six starts here. Similarly, Sammy Smith has shown consistency at this track, finishing seventh in the most recent race and securing top-three placements in two of his last three Martinsville appearances.

Looking at the statistics, one could say that anybody could be at the top of the chart and mark their victory at Martinsville. With Hill and AJ Allmendinger already in the top 4, who do you think will be the remaining two drivers at Phoenix?