Simply superior. That’s the only phrase that accurately describes Austin Hill’s performance at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Richard Childress Racing driver led 146 laps out of 163 to secure his third consecutive victory at the 1.5-mile oval, and his fifth in seven races. It’s just the start of the Xfinity Series season his team could have hoped for, as both Jesse Love and Hill have now secured a spot in the playoffs in the opening two races.

Could this finally be the year Richard Childress Racing ends its six-year-long drought and clinches the Xfinity Series? Time will tell. However, if results are anything to go by, the team is looking like a force to be reckoned with.

Austin Hill is excited about the year ahead

Austin Dillon is making history. The No. 21 Chevy driver is now level with Kevin Harvick for most wins at Atlanta Motor Speedway and is also tied with Tony Stewart and Dale Earnhardt Jr. for having the most triumphs on drafting tracks in the Xfinity Series. Even though Justin Allgaier and Aric Almirola did their best to throw Austin Hill off his game towards the end, the Georgia native remained unfazed and raced towards the checkered flag.

Reflecting on how the result, Austin Hill gave credit where it was due in the post-race interview, saying, “I wanna give a huge shout out to everyone at RCR ECR. Chad Haney, first career win as a crew chief. So cool for him. He’s been working his tail off this off season. Him and I I think will work great together. We’re gonna soak this one up, drink a lot of beer and get ready for the next race.”

Richard Childress Racing is off to a flying start in the 2025 Xfinity Series campaign. At the tender age of 20, Jesse Love kickstarted the season with a victory at Daytona International Speedway to begin the year on the best possible note. Reflecting on his team’s start, Hill said, “We have the #2 locked in and we got locked in today, it doesn’t get any better than that. I just hope we go show it at all these tracks, not just superspeedways.”

While the outcome at superspeedway tracks is notoriously hard to predict, Austin Hill has surpassed expectations by cementing his reputation as a specialist at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Even though he entered the race as an overwhelming favorite to win, he utterly dominated the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 by winning both stages and leading the most number of laps. It was his 11th Xfinity win and eighth on a drafting track, and with the season just beginning, how many more triumphs will Hill secure before the end of the year?

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Hill redeems himself after Daytona disappointment

Austin Hill was eager to prove himself. After winning the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in 2024, the 30-year-old was hopeful of defending his title at the 2025 United Rentals 300 at the ‘World Center of Racing’. Despite his No. 21 Chevy showing lightning-fast pace at the 2.5-mile tri-oval, his race came to a disappointing end because of a mechanical issue, forcing him to finish 33rd.

It was a bittersweet moment for Hill, whose only consolation was that fellow Richard Childress Racing driver Jesse Love secured his second Xfinity Series triumph instead. Despite winning the race in Atlanta, the Georgia native said, “The only thing that could make it sweeter is if we could have Daytona back last week.” While he might not be able to turn back the clock, the driver has more than redeemed himself in the second race of the season, which will ease the pressure on his shoulders ahead of his trip to the Circuit of The Americas.

With Love qualifying in first place at Atlanta Motor Speedway, it gives Richard Childress Racing another sweep of pole and race wins for the second time this season. The team hasn’t won the Xfinity Series since 2019 when Tyler Reddick guided them to glory after switching from JR Motorsports. Could this finally be the year RCR ends its long trophy drought? It certainly seems that way, but consistency will be key for either Jesse Love or Austin Hill to get their hands on silverware at Phoenix Raceway at the end of the year.