Biggest threats to Austin Hill in Xfinity Series race at Atlanta

Since Atlanta Motor Speedway was reconfigured into a drafting track in 2022, no driver in the NASCAR Xfinity Series has been better at the 1.5-mile facility than Austin Hill. 

Hill, a native of Winston, Georgia, has won four of the six Xfinity Series races held at the track since 2022. His average finish in the six races is an incredible 3.0, and he's spent 218 of 999 circuits out front. 

That doesn't mean Hill is invincible, however. After winning three consecutive Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona from 2022 to 2024, a mechanical issue took Hill out of contention at Daytona last week, allowing Jesse Love to take the win. 

Ahead of Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Atlanta, here are the drivers that pose the biggest threat to Hill winning yet another race at Atlanta. 

Jesse Love, No. 2 Chevrolet, Richard Childress Racing 

Hill's biggest threat comes out of the same shop Hill's No. 21 comes out of. Love took advantage of his teammate's misfortune to win at Daytona, and led 157 laps at Atlanta in February of 2024 before finishing 12th. Love will likely start inside the top-10 on Sunday, and with only 163 laps scheduled, should be able to keep his car towards the front. If any driver can beat Hill on a superspeedway with straight speed, it's Love. 

Christian Eckes, No. 16 Chevrolet, Kaulig Racing 

Eckes doesn't have much experience, but he will have a rocketship underneath him for every superspeedway race. Kaulig isn't the juggernaut it once was in Xfinity Series superspeedway races, but its cars are almost always in the mix when the pay window opens. Anyone who beats Hill will have to be aggressive, and aggressiveness is an inherent trait of NASCAR's new crop of drivers, including Eckes. 

Aric Almirola, No. 20 Toyota Supra, Joe Gibbs Racing 

Almirola will make the first of nine Xfinity Series starts in 2025 at Atlanta on Saturday. The Cup Series veteran won at Daytona and Talladega in his Cup Series career, and nearly won the 2018 Daytona 500. Almirola will always be a factor at superspeedways, and his JGR Toyota should be quick. A lack of fast Toyota teammates may be a problem for Almirola, but he should have enough speed to lure other drivers into working with him. 

Harrison Burton, No. 25 Ford, AM Racing 

Burton earned a sixth-place finish at Daytona and the season-opener, and his lone Cup Series win came at Daytona in August of 2024. Burton was a sneaky-good superspeedway racer in the Cup Series, and Daytona proved that AM Racing's cars are fast enough to fight with the big dogs. Like Almirola, Burton doesn't have a ton of quick Ford teammates to work with, but teamwork and alliances go out the window when it's time to fight for the win, anyway.