The wreckage of Daytona still clung to Austin Hill’s mind like a stubborn piece of rubber on a worn-out Goodyear tire. One moment, he was in the thick of it—jockeying for position, eyeing the checkered flag. The next, he was watching from the infield, his car a crumpled mess, his race over before it truly began.

But if there’s one thing Hill knows, it’s how to bounce back. And there’s no better place to do it than Atlanta—a track that has been more friend than foe over the years. A track where he’s celebrated victory, felt the rush of clean air in front, and proven time and again that he belongs in the conversation. Yet, as he readies himself for another shot at redemption, he knows one thing for sure: no two Atlanta races are ever the same.

The 2025 NASCAR season is well and truly underway for all three series. Jesse Love struck the first blow when he won the United Rentals 300 at Daytona. Meanwhile, Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill endured a torrid time, eventually crashing out of the race. Now, the 30-year-old will be eager for redemption this weekend at a favored Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The good news for him is that he won the spring race last year. Owing to that, he should be a favorite to win once again, though he has insisted that a second consecutive win would not be guaranteed. He was humble enough to declare that each visit to the Atlanta Motor Speedway always yields different race conditions. The same was true in his last few visits, so it is fair to assume that this time will also see different conditions.

Last year, the Richard Childress Racing Xfinity driver came close to a maiden title. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough and he ended the year in 4th place, with four wins under his belt. On the bright side, it was still a career-best finish for Hill. Now comes the next big step to his title hopes and he is ready to do it all over again.

Austin Hill previewed the race weekend at the Atlanta Motor Speedway

Ahead of the race, Hill told Steven Taranto, “So I think that the track is probably going to race similar to the spring race last year. It’s hard to say, because I do think that the race is going to be colder than last year. I can say from our standpoint, we’re trying to build a little bit of drivability in the race car. We still want the raw speed, so that balance is really tough to get the best of both worlds. Don’t want to be completely straight full of downforce, because that just takes the raw speed out our Chevrolets.”

Hill further addresses the specific challenges he and the team expect, “Trying to balance that is really tough, that’s something that we’ve talked about all week long. How much downforce we want to put in the car, how much trim and have that raw speed. We’re trying to kind of mend those two together. I don’t know if you’ll see us put the fastest lap today in qualifying, but I still think we’ll qualify up front and be a contender. Handling is going to be an issue, even though it is so cold.”

The #2 driver acknowledged that with each visit, the track has felt different. All this is irrespective of whether it is the spring race or the fall race. Austin Hill knows this because he has a fair amount of experience at the track, having raced there 6 times. As per his testimony, every race was different to each other. Whether it is the reconfiguration, the runs, or even the grip levels, all of it has not been the same as in previous races.

Hill even highlighted aspects like the turbulent air behind another driver, how loose the car is on entry, track characteristics and so much more. Which is why he has advised that the best way to tackle this race is to do a complete reset. In essence, drivers have to think of it as a new race and go in like it is their first visit. Austin Hill also pointed out that a common tactic is to move up the race track. He noted that the middle of the top line is the preferred lane, so things will be tricky. Early positioning might be an advantage.

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Can the Richard Childress Racing Xfinity driver go two for two?

Without a doubt, Austin Hill is a hugely talented driver and his Atlanta form is on his side. In the six races that he has run at the oval, he has not finished lower than 12th, while scoring 4 wins in the Xfinity Series. He triumphed in the 2022 fall race and the 2023 spring race, but failed to complete the hat-trick. Now, he has won both spring and fall races in 2024 and is on for a hat-trick for a second time.

The best part is that he has qualified in 2nd place behind championship leader Jesse Love at Atlanta. This will be his chance to strike back and establish himself as a title threat once again. As an added bonus, he could earn his hat-trick of Atlanta Motor Speedway wins with his 5th Atlanta and 11th career win.