Richard Childress’ ace breaks silence on NASCAR’s move that is likely to strip away his COTA advantage

Richard Childress Racing driver Austin Hill was recently featured in a pre-race interview at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The latter opened up about his views on the new changes on the track that could strip away his advantage.

Hill has been competing for Richard Childress Racing since 2022 in the Xfinity Series and is on a path of improvement. He finished his debut season with the team in sixth place, and since then, he has been jumping one place up in the standings. Additionally, Hill won the inaugural race at Daytona three times in a row.

Richard Childress Racing has competed in seven races at the Circuit of the Americas in the Xfinity Series, and Austin Hill has earned a pair of second places in 2022 and 2024. However, things might be different for the RCR ace this year. NASCAR has changed the features of the Austin, Texas, road course, boasting a 2.3-mile track length with 20 turns.

During the interview, the reporter asked the 30-year-old RCR driver about his preparation for the new course, to which he replied (via SpeedwayDigest.com):

"I've done a little simulation. The track scan actually just got done not too long ago. I know this track change was something NASCAR asked the drivers about, and they received a lot of feedback in response. I'm not sure where I stand on it just yet, but at the end of the day, this is the hand that we were dealt, and we are going to do our best to figure it out as fast as possible."

"I think we should have a shot at the race win once again, but the course update is going to change the dynamic for sure. In the past, I thought our car performed very well past Turn 6, through Turn 7, and all the way to Turn 11. Now all of those corners are gone, so we will have to wait and see. We don't have a ton of practice, so whoever can adapt and learn on the fly is going to succeed. After Friday's practice and qualifying, we will be studying SMT data and learning all we can before the race on Saturday," he added.

The Richard Childress Racing team also has eight starts in the Cup Series and earned two top-five and five top-10 finishes. Two-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Kyle Busch holds the best result of second for the team.

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Richard Childress Racing announced a new president for the 2025 season

Ahead of the season's inaugural race, the Daytona 500 held on February 16, 2025, Richard Childress Racing announced a new team president. Mike Verlander, former chief operating officer at the team, was promoted to team president.

"Mike has also done a great job this past year in his role as chief operating officer as he has learned all aspects of our organization. He has a clear vision for our future and will foster a culture that inspires our entire team. I look forward to seeing our continued growth under his leadership," Childress said in a statement.

Mike Verlander will manage RCR's daily operations, including manufacturing, graphics, and engine divisions. He will directly report to the team owner, Richard Childress, and join the Board of Directors.