The chaos at Watkins Glen International during the NASCAR Xfinity Series race still has fans buzzing. With nine laps to go, Austin Hill made contact with Michael McDowell’s No. 11 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet exiting Turn 5, sending McDowell into the guardrail and triggering a 16-car pileup that blocked the track entirely. The red flag waved for over 45 minutes as crews repaired the damaged barriers, leaving drivers like William Sawalich, Josh Bilicki, and Ryan Sieg out of the race. McDowell, making his first Xfinity start since 2007, walked away but didn’t hold back post-race: “He turned me for sure… There is no way he was gonna get alongside me.”

This wreck echoes some of NASCAR’s wildest moments, like the 2002 Aaron’s 312 at Talladega, where Johnny Sauter sparked a record 31-car crash in the Xfinity Series, reshaping safety talks for years. In the aftermath, NASCAR reviewed the incident but decided against penalizing Hill, calling it a racing mishap rather than intentional foul play. However, Hill faced a lot of backlash from fans and drivers alike. McDowell, too, shared his post-race opinions after the heat of the clash cooled down. But what really went down between McDowell and Hill off the track?

Michael McDowell had a candid chat with Hill

A week after the Watkins Glen tangle, Michael McDowell opened up about his physical recovery and the fallout. He admitted the crash hit hard initially. “I mean, as far as how I felt, I felt after. You know, it wasn’t fine. But, you know, the next day I didn’t feel it was in the car, so it didn’t affect me.” This came during a media session where reporters pressed him on any lingering effects from the vicious impact that saw his car go airborne briefly before the pileup unfolded. McDowell‘s quick bounce-back highlights the resilience needed in road course racing, where turns like the Watkins Glen’s Carousel demand precision. But the real shift happened in another conversation.

McDowell revealed that he had a private talk with Austin Hill. “And I did talked to Austin Saturday night and the driver owner lot, and I had a good conversation with him. He was very apologetic. It felt sincere to me,” McDowell shared. This chat occurred casually while both were out with their kids in the lot, turning a tense rivalry moment into something more human. Given Hill’s recent history, like his one-race suspension for wrecking Aric Almirola at Indianapolis, which cost him playoff points, it could have boosted McDowell’s anger on Hill, but his acceptance stands out. It shows how drivers often hash things out away from the spotlight, much like when veterans like Denny Hamlin have called for cooler heads after similar scraps.

By burying the hatchet, McDowell emphasized no prior beef existed. “I haven’t had any, you know, issues with him or incidents, so I took it as sincere, and yeah,” he added. This forgiveness aligns with his post-race stance that no penalty was warranted, framing the contact as aggressive racing rather than malice. “I don’t, he doesn’t need a penalty for that. He just, there was no way he was gonna finish the pass there and he just made a decision not to lift and to turn me, but that’s not the same as a right-rear hook at an oval…It’s just unfortunate. We had fun. Race was going good until it wasn’t.”

It’s a nod to NASCAR’s unwritten code, where incidents like this, echoing Hill’s return from suspension only to spark another wreck, test bonds but rarely break them permanently. Yet Hill’s words in team meetings have raised eyebrows elsewhere.

Earnhardt Jr. chuckles at Hill’s bold claim

Dale Earnhardt Jr. couldn’t hide his amusement when Austin Hill positioned himself as a mentor during a NASCAR Xfinity drivers’ meeting earlier this season. The meeting followed a rough race at Martinsville, where chaos prompted talks on better standards. Hill, driving for Richard Childress Racing, suggested he could guide younger talents, a comment that struck Earnhardt as ironic given Hill’s on-track troubles.

“To hear he spoke up in the Xfinity all drivers meeting to suggest he could be one to mentor the kids was the best laugh I had all week,” Earnhardt posted on social media. This reaction ties into Hill’s season of highs and lows, including three wins before his suspension. Earnhardt, a Hall of Famer with JR Motorsports, often weighs in on driver conduct, and this laugh underscores the gap between Hill’s self-view and his recent actions.

Hill defended his Watkins Glen move as clean competition: “Just two guys going for it. Nothing malicious, as much as everybody wants to sit there and try to make it more than it is.” He aimed to chase down leader Connor Zilisch, who won despite a post-race injury. Earnhardt Jr’s chuckle highlights how Hill’s mentoring pitch clashed with incidents like the intentional wreck at Indianapolis with Aric Almirola, fueling ongoing debates in the garage.