Austin Hill delivers an unfiltered take on the ‘heartbreak’ of failing to outshine Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s Daytona accomplishment

On Saturday, February 15, 2025, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill had an unfortunate run at the Daytona International Speedway. In a post-race interview with Frontstretch, Hill expressed his take on the season's first race and compared his stats to NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s Daytona accomplishment.

Hill debuted in the Xfinity Series in the 2019 season and drove the #61 Toyota for Hattori Racing Enterprises. He competed for the team for three seasons and then moved to Richard Childress Racing in 2022. Since his rookie season with the team, Hill has secured ten wins in the series, followed by five poles and 69 top-ten finishes.

During the interview, the reporter asked Austin Hill:

"You were on pace to have a string of wins here, like Earnhardt, like Stewart. Does that make this even more heartbreaking?" [03:21 Onwards]

The #21 Chevy driver replied:

"I never really came into this race thinking that way. Obviously, everybody this weekend's been talking about it, so obviously, since we've talked about it, it's in the back of my mind. But look, we've done something special, you know, to be able to win three in a row to start the season. We've done really well on the super speedways in general. We're going to Atlanta next weekend, where I've won the last four out of five races. So I feel really strong about this year."

Austin Hill tied his record of winning back-to-back races at Daytona for the past three years. Dale Earnhardt Jr. also had three consecutive wins at the Daytona. Hill's car was fast, and he could have won the fourth race, but an oil leak ended his race in P33, sabotaging his chances to surpass Dale Jr.'s record. Four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Tony Stewart leads the record with four continuous wins at Daytona International Speedway from 2008 to 2011.

---

Austin Hill made his first Championship Four appearance in the last season

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill had a strong start in the 2024 season. He won at Daytona and secured another win at Atlanta Speedway. He then laid three top-five and one top-ten finish, leading the season.

Hill then secured two more wins at Atlanta Speedway and Homestead-Miami Speedway. Additionally, he secured 11 top-five and 20 top-ten finishes, followed by a pole position in the 2024 season. His stellar performance solidified his spot in the championship four race.

Austin Hill qualified fifth for the final race but unfortunately finished tenth. Riley Herbst won the race, and JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier won the title, securing 4,035 points. Meanwhile, Hill wrapped up the season in fourth place, bagging 4,027 points, followed by Cole Custer with 4,029 points and AJ Allmendinger with 4,028 points.