The RCR driver took his fourth victory of the season in overtime, locking his team into the Owners Championship 4 after multiple red flags.
Austin Hill fought off Carson Kvapil and Justin Allgaier as they charged out of the tri-oval towards the checkered flag at Talladega Superspeedway to claim his fourth victory this season in an overtime ending that secured a berth for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Xfinity Series owners Championship 4.
Also securing positions in the owners Championship 4 were Joe Gibbs Racing with Aric Almirola, and JR Motorsports with the No. 7 and No. 88 cars driven by Justin Allgaier and Connor Zilisch, respectively. Zilisch and Allgaier also advanced into the Championship 4 drivers championship on points. This is the eighth time Allgaier has made it to the Championship 4.
“To be able to lock ourself in and to go to Phoenix knowing that we are going to race for an owners championship, and to be able to try to deliver one for Richard Childress Racing means the world to me,” Hill said.
Hill led three times for 48 laps, including the final 38, and avoided two multi-car crashes that caused two red flags in claiming his 10th career superspeedway victory and second straight at the 2.66-mile track.
The first multi-car crash involving 10 cars occurred on lap 15 and proved to be disastrous for playoff contenders Brandon Jones, Sheldon Creed, and Sam Mayer. Creed and Mayer were eliminated from the race, while Jones finished 26th, 16 laps off the pace. Entering next weekend’s race at Martinsville, which will determine the Championship 4 for the drivers’ title, all three competitors are below the cutline. Jones is -20, Mayer is -22, and Creed is -41.
A SAFER barrier was damaged during that front stretch multi-car accident. A 16-minute, 20-second red flag was needed to make repairs.
Zilisch was involved in the second multi-car accident. That six-car crash in turn one just two laps before the end of Stage 2 also caused a red flag. Ten minutes, 35 seconds were needed to clear the track after the wreck that sent William Sawalich to a local hospital for further evaluation.
Zilisch’s 23rd-place finish, three laps down, ended his string of top-five finishes at a record 18. Ironically, Zilisch’s record number of consecutive top-five finishes started at Charlotte in May, which was the then 18-year-old driver’s first race back after suffering a back injury at Talladega in late April.
Category: General Sports
