Austin Hill and Shane van Gisbergen have spent much of 2026 finding new ways to reignite their rivalry, and Kansas delivered another heated chapter. What began as another battle between the two quickly turned into a costly moment for Hill, who found the wall while trying to race SVG. But the bigger fireworks came over the radio, where Hill’s anger was directed at spotter Derek Kneeland, after he urged Hill to settle down.

“I don’t want to hear it, honestly. I really don’t want to f***ing hear it from you. Just stop,” Austin Hill’s response over the radio said everything about his mood after another incident with Shane van Gisbergen at Kansas.

The RCR driver had just found himself in the wall while battling SVG. And when his spotter Derek Kneeland urged him to settle down, Hill clearly had no interest in hearing the message.

The contact came on Lap 110 as the two drivers fought for 26th place. Exiting Turn 2, SVG moved up the track and slid in front of Hill, leaving the No. 33 Chevrolet with nowhere to go. Hill was forced into the outside wall, losing positions to Tyler Reddick and Alex Bowman in the process.

Kneeland immediately tried to calm the situation from the spotter’s stand. His message was less about assigning blame and more about preventing another race-ending incident between the two drivers.

“Can’t keep racing each other like this every week. We’re gonna destroy cars and no finishes,” Kneeland told Hill over the radio.

The spotter acknowledged that the run had already gone badly. However, he wanted Hill to regain his composure and focus on salvaging the race. With the car still capable of producing a result, Kneeland urged his driver to stop the escalation before another mistake made the damage even worse.

Hill, however, had clearly reached his limit with the advice. His response reflected how deeply the rivalry with SVG has developed throughout the 2026 season. Kansas was not an isolated incident between the two drivers. Rather, it was another chapter in a feud that has repeatedly produced contact, retaliation and damaged race cars.

At Pocono, Hill initiated a three-wide move that triggered a crash involving van Gisbergen. A week later in San Diego, another mistake by Hill set off a multi-car pileup that completely destroyed SVG’s car. Then came Chicagoland.

SVG tagged the rear of Hill’s No. 33, sending the RCR driver into the outside wall. Hill responded almost immediately, sideswiping van Gisbergen under caution. Richard Childress did not exactly hide what he believed the move represented, openly calling it “payback” over the radio. The situation became serious enough for NASCAR to intervene, with both drivers called into a mandatory closed-door hauler meeting.

Now, after Kansas, the same rivalry has once again left Hill dealing with the consequences. And this time, it was not only the damage on track that stood out. His radio response showed just how little patience he had left for being told to simply settle things down.

Where the feud actually began

If Kansas felt like another episode in an endless Hill-SVG saga, the original spark came long before either driver had accumulated years of history with the other. Their relationship first turned sour at Circuit of The Americas in March 2024, during what was still van Gisbergen’s first full-time O’Reilly campaign.

The tension emerged on the final restart. SVG had the advantage heading toward Turn 1, but Hill refused to let him escape. The two ran wide through the corner, opening the door for Hill to move ahead and take control.

SVG eventually got another opportunity on the last lap. He made contact with Hill entering Turn 15, with both cars running wide as they fought for the position. Kyle Larson needed no invitation, slipping past the battling pair and taking the victory.

The final results only added another layer to an already messy finish. Hill crossed the line second, while SVG initially appeared to finish alongside him before a 30-second penalty for cutting the course dropped the New Zealander to 27th.

More importantly, neither driver walked away believing the other had raced them fairly. Van Gisbergen’s explanation was that Hill had driven through him earlier in the lap, while Hill viewed the final-corner contact as SVG simply running into his car.

Their competing versions made it clear that neither intended to forget what had happened. Still, there was no way to know then how significant that moment would become. Sonoma supplied the sequel just two months later.

Hill was leading another late restart, but SVG found himself alongside the No. 21 and had the inside lane heading into Turn 2. The cars touched, Hill was forced wide, and van Gisbergen emerged with the lead he needed to win the race.

What happened afterward was arguably more memorable than the contact itself. SVG celebrated with a prolonged burnout around the track. As the two cars crossed paths on the cooldown lap, Hill made his feelings unmistakable with a one-finger salute.

What began at COTA as two drivers refusing to give an inch had now become personal. Sonoma confirmed it was not going away, and the clashes that followed over the next two seasons would turn those early moments into one of the most persistent rivalries in NASCAR.