Richard Childress Racing’s Austin Hill has been involved in some regrettable moves during his Xfinity Series tenure. Most notably, during the 2024 Xfinity race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, he was involved in a wreck with the #00 of Cole Custer. The incident saw both of them crash out of the race with tempers flaring. Hill and Custer bumped each other, fighting for a top-5 finish as the laps dwindled.
However, after Custer got caught in the wall, Hill, who had a flat tire after the contact with Custer, drove right into the latter’s bumper and spun him out. Custer was furious after the race. However, Hill felt, “I didn’t destroy his race car so there was no reason for him to destroy mine.” The bottom line is that Hill was upset and retaliated. However, after his crash in the Xfinity race at Phoenix, Hill had no one to blame but himself, as he yet again wrecked a #00 car, this time that of Sheldon Creed!
Driving the No. 21 Chevy, Austin Hill slammed into the inside wall despite no contact from anyone around him. This led to a multi-car wreck. ending Hill’s race and putting a dagger in Richard Childress Racing’s chance to notch up their third win of the season.
Austin Hill makes a rookie mistake at Phoenix Raceway
Richard Childress Racing has had quite a start in the Xfinity Series. The team began its 2025 campaign with two consecutive triumphs, Jesse Love at Daytona and Austin Hill at Atlanta, sparking speculation about potentially winning the championship for the first time since Tyler Reddick’s fabled run in 2019. Despite the blip in their winning streak at the Circuit of the Americas, expectations were high ahead of the 2025 GOVX 200 at Phoenix Raceway. However, things didn’t go as planned at ‘The Desert Oddball’.
Expectations were high for Austin Hill. The 30-year-old was ranked first in the driver’s standing going into the race in Phoenix and was hoping to extend his points tally by getting another triumph. However, ‘The Jewel of the Desert’ hasn’t been a happy hunting ground for the Georgia native in the past, with just one top-5 finish in 6 races, a narrative he was hoping to change this time around.
But it just wasn’t meant to be. In Lap 61, Austin Hill was seen spinning on the track after making contact with the inside wall, collecting the No. 00 of Sheldon Creed and No. 26 of Dean Thompson as well. Reflecting on the wreck, the racer said, “I think that might be one of the dumbest things that has ever happened in my career. I know the wall’s there, right? Everyone knows that the wall is there. But I really didn’t think that the #8 was that close to it.” Taking accountability for his actions, the Richard Childress Racing driver went on to say, “I hate the racecars, especially when it’s my fault. That one was just 100% on me.”
It wasn’t the only incident Austin Hill was involved in at Phoenix Raceway. Early on in Stage 2, the No. 21 Chevy driver misjudged an entry into Turn 3 and brought about a first caution. The race went green a lap and a half later, and the racer was seen hugging the inside line before attempting to go low and try to gain air off the left side of Sammy Smith’s No. 8. However, what the driver didn’t realize is that Smith was entirely up against the inside wall and by attempting the move, he would just end up wrecking himself.
Austin Hill on the bizarre wreck where he ran into the inside wall: “That might be one of the dumbest things that’s ever happened to me in my career.” pic.twitter.com/N4gBQLtGPu
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) March 8, 2025
That’s exactly what happened, resulting in Hill spinning across the track, collecting Sheldon Creed’s No. 00 Ford Mustang in the process. Despite his triumph at Atlanta Motor Speedway, the 2025 Xfinity Series season has been somewhat of a mixed bag for the Richard Childress Racing driver, who has already endured two DNFs in the opening four races.
Sheldon Creed opens up about being wrecked by Hill
Sheldon Creed is desperate for a win. The Haas Factory Team driver has completed three full seasons in the Xfinity Series and has finished as runner-up a staggering 13 times. Going into the 2025 GOVX 200, the California native thought he was in with a chance to finally break his winless streak after finishing first in qualifying. He remained in contention for a potential triumph at the end of Stage 1 by finishing fifth, but that’s when everything changed.
Sharing his thoughts after being wrecked by Austin Hill, Creed said, “It’s definitely blind when you’re in behind somebody. I’ve never been close to hitting it but I definitely had to jump back. It’s a simple mistake, you know. We’re not perfect, but we’re gonna make up. Unfortunately, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.” Not one to cry over spilled milk, the 27-year-old is already setting his sights on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway race, going on to say, “Caught me off-guard. Happy to walk away. Let’s keep going forward.”
While a 36th-place result isn’t exactly what he wanted at Phoenix Raceway, Sheldon Creed can take solace in the fact that his performances in the opening three races have been quite encouraging. A third-place finish at Daytona International Speedway was a bright start to his season, and upcoming fixtures in Las Vegas, Homestead-Miami, and Martinsville offer plenty more opportunities to break his winless streak. Will he finally break his unfortunate run this year? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!
The post “Its My Fault”: Richard Childress’ Aggressive Star Pleads Guilty After ‘Dumbest’ Blunder in Phoenix appeared first on EssentiallySports.
