NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

After Daytona disappointment, Austin Hill gets redemption at Atlanta

By Samuel Stubbs | Last updated Feb 22, 2025 8:53 PM ET

Just like in the NASCAR Xfinity Series season opener at Daytona on Feb. 15, Austin Hill was the dominant car in Saturday's Xfinity Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

The difference? Rather than a mechanical issue taking him out of contention as it did at Daytona, Hill's car held up, allowing him to lead 146 of the race's 163 laps en route to his first victory of the 2025 season.

Hill held off Justin Allgaier and Aric Almirola to win his fifth race at his home track. Hill is from Winston, Georgia, which is located an hour northwest of Atlanta Motor Speedway.

During the race, Hill broke Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s record for the most laps ever led on drafting-style racetracks in Xfinity Series history.

There's gonna be one big party in Atlanta tonight! pic.twitter.com/EA6CcHIae1
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) February 23, 2025

"To be able to do this is something special," Hill told CW Sports. "I want to give a shoutout to everyone at RCR. (Crew chief) Chad Haney, first career win as a crew chief, so cool for him. He's been working his tail off this offseason. Him and I, I think, are gonna work great together."

"We're going to soak this one up, drink a lot of beer and get ready for the next race."

Hill and the rest of the Xfinity Series field will travel to Austin, Texas, on March 1 for the third race of the 2025 season at Circuit of the Americas. Hill finished runner-up to Kyle Larson at COTA in 2024.

Samuel Stubbs

Hailing from the same neck of the woods as NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin, Samuel has been covering NASCAR for Yardbarker since February 2024. He has been a member of the National Motorsports Press Association (NMPA) since October of 2024. When he’s not writing about racing, Samuel covers Arkansas Razorback basketball for Yardbarker

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