Heartbreak. That’s what Austin Hill experienced when the checkered flag was waved at Phoenix Raceway. Despite starting the race in 5th place, the highest qualifying spot amongst the title contenders, the Richard Childress Racing driver was forced to settle for 10th at the end of the biggest race of the season. It was the first time the No. 21 Chevy racer made it to Championship 4, and despite the result, a career-high fourth place in the driver standings left him with plenty of positives despite the race’s outcome.

While Justin Allgaier stole the show, Hill was gracious in defeat, giving credit where it’s due to the JR Motorsports driver. It was a refreshing change from the Georgia native’s brash reputation, as the 30-year-old showed maturity and character growth in the final race of the season.

Austin Hill shows good sportsmanship at Phoenix Raceway

The stage was set for Austin Hill. Having secured four wins in the Xfinity Series, most recently at Homestead-Miami, the expectations were high for the Richard Childress Racing driver. While a good qualifying position doesn’t guarantee success, it wasn’t going to hurt the 30-year-old’s chances. He capitalized on the advantage by finishing fourth at the end of Stage 1, the highest amongst Championship 4 contenders. However, the circumstances quickly worked against him during Stage 2, relegating him outside the top 10 at the end of 90 laps at Phoenix Raceway. Despite the setback, the 30-year-old regained momentum during the closing laps, only to be overtaken by Justin Allgaier with two laps to go.

Despite the heartbreaking result, Austin Hill was seen exchanging words with Allgaier after the race. When asked what was said between the two, the RCR driver replied, “Just told him congrats and it’s been fun racing him all year. He’s a heck of a race car driver. He’s going to be a great champion for the Xfinity Series for next year, holding that banner. Congratulated his entire 7 team. It’s been a lot of fun racing with those guys all season long. I feel like Justin and I, we race each other extremely hard but we also race with a lot of respect. I just wanted to show that respect back to him.”

Widely considered to be one of the most underestimated drivers, Austin Hill has been fighting detractors ever since he made it into NASCAR. Few predicted he would make it to Championship 4, but the No. 21 Chevy driver proved his doubters wrong with a dominant season. Despite the result at Phoenix Raceway, the Richard Childress Racing driver finished the season in a career-high 4th place and will look to build on this performance going forward. If his post-race comments are anything to go by, Hill has matured both on and off the track, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s a force to be reckoned with in 2025.

Justin Allgaier, who was making his seventh final 4 appearance in the Xfinity Series couldn’t have asked for a more difficult race. In his 14th full-time season, the JR Motorsports driver crashed in qualifying, qualified 37th, received two penalties, and had to endure a slow pit stop. Despite the setbacks, the veteran driver won the coveted championship trophy, and Austin Hill was particularly pleased with the result. The Richard Childress Racing driver said, “If I couldn’t have gotten it done and got the championship, I’m glad that he was the one that got it done.”

Hill reflects on the 2024 Xfinity Series season

The ending may not have worked out as planned, but Austin Hill has plenty of positives to take from the 2024 Xfinity Series season. He couldn’t have asked for a better start, winning back-to-back races at Daytona and Atlanta Motor Speedway and securing three top-five results in the following races. The Richard Childress Racing driver showed great consistency throughout the campaign, ending the season with twenty top-10 finishes. With all things taken into consideration, the No. 21 Chevy driver has plenty of positives to build on for next year.

Assessing his season, Austin Hill said, “Well, I mean, you obviously want to win the championship, so we came up short there. But all in all, I think at the start of February in Daytona, you just want to be one of those final four drivers to have a shot at it. We were able to do that. I think all in all, this year has been solid for us. There’s areas that we still need to work on and be better as a race team, some other areas to win more races.”

Despite Richard Childress Racing having a lackluster season in the Cup Series, the team has enjoyed contrasting fortunes in NASCAR’s second tier. They finished the season in 2nd place in the owner’s standings, with a total of 4000 points and four wins in 33 races. Austin Hill can be optimistic about his chances for the 2025 season, with the team making significant strides year after year to become genuine title contenders. Given their performances this year, the 30-year-old will feel confident about eventually becoming a champion with the racing team. All he needs to do is be patient.