The recent Xfinity race at COTA was undeniably one of the most intense and dramatic events. Austin Hill found himself embroiled in a fierce battle with Shane van Gisbergen in the final stage, and their rivalry continues to be a hot topic of discussion within the NASCAR community even today. Unfortunately, neither could taste success as Kyle Larson made good use of the opportunity by dodging past and getting the checkered flag.

So naturally, Austin Hill wasn’t happy with how things turned out and even criticized how SVG retaliated. However, to Hill’s dismay, this brought around some criticisms from fans as well as from reputed NASCAR legends like Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Dale Earnhardt Jr reveals what Austin hill needs to work on

Dale Jr. opened up on his Dirty Mo Media regarding the COTA race with the rest of the show’s cast. He started by praising Austin Hill for the driver he is and his capabilities. He then mentioned that if Hill was on his team, Dale would have been okay with him shoving people through track corners. Especially if it was result-oriented.

“But he’s good, he can drive and be fast anywhere. His racecraft, when I say is racecraft, I want to be careful. His ability to start the race, keep himself out of trouble, and net the best result possible is really, really good. Way better than some other people in the series. He does that as well as anyone in some cases. But he does drive into the back of people. That’s okay. If he’s my driver and he’s shoving people through corners, I’ll be like, ‘Yeah get it!’. But he’s getting results too, so it’s like yeah,” said Dale Jr.

He then pointed out that the act that Hill is carrying out by complaining does not make sense. Dale Jr clearly mentioned that if someone is hit for marching ahead, they can do that to him as well.

He confessed to finding nothing wrong in that, as he continued, “But when it happens to him, he seems to have a little, he doesn’t like it. That’s something that I think he needs to work on. Look man, everybody is happy about SVG coming here and racing. And everybody expects him to be a contender in that race, in the Xfinity car at a road course like COTA especially. And he’s a V8 Supercar racer. But I think, look man, he gave it as good as he got it. SVG gets out and he’s like, ‘That’s fun yeah, we’re good. I’m learning, this is a new style for me, new discipline, I’m getting it’. That’s how Austin should have got out with.“

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Perhaps what prompted Dale Jr point out Hill’s behavior was his post-race interview where the RCR driver was seen pinning the blame on SVG.

Austin Hill shares how Shane van Gisbergen didn’t give him a chance

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As the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at COTA entered overtime, Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen (SVG) found themselves leading the pack. Hill, drawing inspiration from A.J. Allmendinger’s strategy, strategically tucked in behind SVG on the front row. Little did they know that this battle would become legendary in Xfinity Series history.

SVG, patient and calculating, awaited the opportune moment. With a daring move, he nudged Hill up the track, executing a pass that left spectators breathless. But the drama was far from over. For the Kiwi, this race marked his finest Xfinity performance yet. He acknowledged the learning curve and the necessity to adapt to the diverse racing styles. He stated, “That’s how it is, and I’ve got to fit in.”

Kyle Larson entered, armed with fresher tires, like a lightning bolt and charged left past both SVG and Hill. The chaos of the moment played to his advantage, and he snatched victory from the midst of battle. However, a 30-second time penalty was imposed on SVG post-race for track shortcutting on the final lap, relegating Kaulig Racing’s #97 from P2 to to P27, which in turn pushed Hill to second place instead. Even after this, the whole incident frustrated Austin Hill.

“I’d have to watch the replay, but getting into 15, I’m trying to protect. And it felt like from my perspective, the 97 (SVG) just ran through us. And I mean you see his front end, it’s caved in really bad. So he didn’t even give us a chance to make the corner obviously,” Austin Hill said after the race.

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Could this intense battle on the track brew into a more significant rivalry during the course of this season? We’ll leave that up to them to decide.