RCR sophomore Austin Hill explains the significance of NASCAR opener Daytona 500: "It’s our Super Bowl"

Austin Hill is set to drive the #21 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in his second full-time season in the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing. He will also compete in NASCAR Cup Series races with Beard Motorsports as a part-time driver.

His Cup Series schedule for the season includes both the races at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway, as well as a single race at Michigan International Speedway and the Charlotte Motor Speedway each.

Austin Hill, who owns wins at Daytona International Speedway in both NASCAR’s second and third-tier series, said he will do whatever it takes to qualify for the Daytona 500. He also said that as a kid, he always dreamt of racing in the Cup Series and Daytona 500.

In a recent interview, Hill said:

“As long as I don’t destroy a car and only mess up a fender or something that can be easily fixed, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make the Daytona 500. It’s something that as a little kid you always dream of, racing in the Cup level, and then also racing in the Daytona 500. It’s our Super Bowl. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make it in. I will hang it all out on the line.”

He continued:

“And if it comes down to the last lap and we are racing another guy to make it in, I’m going to be as aggressive as I can to get … in the show. That’s the goal.”

---

Austin Hill failed to qualify for the 2023 Daytona 500 field

Austin Hill had a much harder time swallowing his elimination from the 40-car field. The champion at Superspeedway was in a strong position and his competitor was more than a lap behind. All he had to do was drive his #21 Chevrolet to the finish line.

However, when Kyle Busch lost control of the race lead, Austin Hill spun while trying to avoid the wreck. He and a few others were collected and his race ended with a DNF.

Speaking to the media after falling out of the race, Hill said:

“There is no reason why we shouldn’t be in the 500 from where the 50 was running and really it was just being dumb on my part and there is just no reason for that. I was the one holding the steering wheel and I should have just seen what was happening and just let those guys do their thing and we just fall back. Even if we fall laps down, it doesn’t matter as long as we stay in front of the 50. It stings, but we get to race on Saturday in the Xfinity car and I am really excited about that with RCR and hope we can go win that race.”

Catch Hill in action in the Xfinity Series race at Daytona International Speedway this weekend.