RCR Ace’s “Bunch of Sissies” Rant at SVG Backfires Miserably

Coming off a legendary NASCAR debut in 2023, Shane Van Gisbergen entered 2024 with a fiery approach. Last July, he became the first driver in over 60 years to win a Cup race in his debut at the Chicago Street Race. At the Circuit of the Americas, the Kiwi driver was looking forward to winning the first Xfinity road race of the year. But his RCR rival threw a wrench in his plans.

The turmoil at the COTA Xfinity race this time could be labeled as mild compared to earlier instances. Yet Austin Hill did not take it well. Two caution flags forced two overtimes, and Hill took that opportunity to pass Shane Van Gisbergen with a bump into the first corner. While that cost the Kaulig Racing driver heavily in terms of spots, SVG answered in kind with a gentle nudge that derailed Hill’s quest for victory. This sent him fuming at the New Zealand driver, but few supported his protests.

Austin Hill was left visibly irked as, after the race, he said, “Obviously, everyone’s going for [the win]. I was mad, but who wouldn’t be, right?” His flames of anger were difficult to extinguish. Hill took another step and cussed Gisbergen’s team: “Bunch of sissies over there.” But in a twist, Hill’s own spotter, Derek Kneeland, countered: “No offense, I would do the same thing to win.”

This internal contradiction in Hill’s team sent off a storm of remarks from NASCAR fans. They hurtled a volley of derisive comments at Hill. Suggesting he was acting like a baby, one wrote, “Wah wah wah poor Austin 🍼🍼🍼.” Another fan echoed this sentiment, penning, “Austin Hill needs to go back to the McDonald’s Playplace because his maturity will fit right in with those little kids.” A Reddit user took notes from Hill’s comment, writing, “Calling people “sissies” in 2024??? Cool, I’ll remember that ✍🏻”

Some fans pointed out that Shane Van Gisbergen was justified in his actions. “Lmao, Hill literally drove through SVG. How does he expect SVG to just let him go?” Bringing up Hill’s hypocrisy, another wrote, “Wait, so he was cool with doing it to SVG in T1 after the restart, but not cool with having it done to him when it was smarter and more advantageous to do so? Okay, guy.” The thing is, the RCR driver inadvertently admitted to his hypocrisy after the race.

Hill said, “Getting into [Turn] 1, where the start/finish line basically is, I got into his bumper, and I hit him really hard. I don’t know if he semi-missed a shift or not, but I hit him. I got off him when we got to the corner, and it looked like he was wheel hopping at that point.” Despite Hill’s backlash at the Kaulig driver, Shane Van Gisbergen was visibly excited after the race.

“That last restart, [Hill] just drove through me. It was pretty awesome racing. At the end, it just turned into a mess,” said Gisbergen. He admitted to having a lot of fun and learning from other drivers. Gisbergen got pushed back to 28th place at the end. Although he lost a chance at winning in Austin (ironically at the hands of Austin [Hill]), he is looking forward. And, turns out, he took advice from a former Supercars and NASCAR star before this race.

Shane Van Gisbergen came prepared for his Xfinity stint in COTA

The Kiwi driver has a journey of race wins in Supercars. However, he arrived in NASCAR only last year and is still adjusting to the new tracks despite his debut victory. This year, Shane Van Gisbergen is running a full Xfinity and a partial Cup schedule, both with Kaulig. Additionally, he has the expert advice of Marcos Ambrose to fall back on. He chatted with the veteran before the COTA race.

“I had a good chat with [former Supercars and NASCAR star] Marcos Ambrose last night, and he said the Xfinity car will be unlike anything I’ve ever driven, the way it brakes and the way the rear-end works,” van Gisbergen said. “He said it’s probably similar to the Cup cars he was racing, so hopefully those things help and help me speed up the learning process.”

Austin Hill and Kyle Larson overtook Shane Van Gisbergen at COTA. Despite missing his chance here, he has a lot of races left this season to reach Victory Lane again.

Read More: Kyle Larson Publicly Concedes Defeat to Shane Van Gisbergen’s Road Course Mastery Despite COTA Triumph