{"id":48824,"date":"2024-10-26T18:30:55","date_gmt":"2024-10-26T23:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=48824"},"modified":"2024-11-01T10:13:49","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T15:13:49","slug":"austin-hill-earns-a-spot-in-xfinity-championship-four-with-homestead-miami-win","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/26\/austin-hill-earns-a-spot-in-xfinity-championship-four-with-homestead-miami-win\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin Hill earns a spot in Xfinity Championship Four with Homestead-Miami win"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

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By Holly Cain, NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n

HOMESTEAD, Fla. \u2013 An emotional Austin Hill climbed out of his No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet on the Homestead-Miami Speedway frontstretch to celebrate one of the most significant race wins of his burgeoning career \u2013 claiming the Credit One NASCAR AMEX Credit Card 300 trophy Saturday and securing one of four positions to race for a trophy in the Nov. 9 series championship finale.<\/p>\n

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Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, takes the checkered flag to win the NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

Hill \u2013 who also swept both of the race\u2019s stage wins – took the lead from Stewart-Haas Racing\u2019s Cole Custer with 11 laps remaining Saturday evening at the 1.5-mile South Florida track and raced off to a healthy 3.045-second win over the fellow Playoff driver and reigning series champion Custer.<\/p>\n

It was the fourth win of the season for Hill and 10th of this career. But importantly, it is the first time the 30-year-old Georgia native will have a chance to race for the championship trophy after multi-win seasons the last three years.<\/p>\n

\u201cI worked so hard for this, a lot of people doubt me but I wake up every day to prove them wrong,” Hill said. \u201cI deserve to be here and I deserve to race for a championship. This 21-team deserves it just as much as I do. They work their [butts] off each and every day just like I do. I\u2019ve got to give it up to those guys. They gave me a hell of a car.<\/p>\n

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Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cI can honestly say I\u2019ve never cried coming to the start-finish line, but I had to get my emotions together going into Turn 1 after the checkered, all the hard work and dedication that goes into this. I don\u2019t think everyone\u2019s going to understand what this means for me, for my family and for [sponsor] Bennett. \u2026 I had to be on it today.<\/p>\n

Pausing to take it in, he added, \u201cThis is amazing. To be able to go the Final Four. I\u2019ve worked so hard at this and my dreams came true.”<\/p>\n

With his win and A.J. Allmendinger\u2019s victory last week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, now only two positions remain for the title chase with one more race remaining \u2013 at the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway half-miler next week \u2013 to establish the championship foursome.<\/p>\n

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Cole Custer, driver of the #00 NXT on CW Ford, and Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

JR Motorsports driver Justin Allgaier \u2013 who only had three previous top-10 finishes at Homestead \u2013 took the checkered flag in eighth place which was good enough to keep the driver of the No. 7 JRM Chevrolet with the points lead in third place should he need that to advance to the championship race.<\/p>\n

Custer, whose No. 00 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford led a race best 87 of the 200 laps, is now on that fourth-place cutoff line with a 28-point advantage over Saturday\u2019s race pole-winner Chandler Smith. Smith, finished 13th and as with the bottom four ranked drivers is essentially in a must-win situation next weekend.<\/p>\n

Hill\u2019s rookie teammate Jesse Love ran up front much of the day and finished fourth. He\u2019s now sixth in the points standings \u2013 35 points below Custer.<\/p>\n

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Jesse Love, driver of the #2 Whelen Chevrolet, and Sam Mayer, driver of the #1 10X Health Chevrolet, race during the NASCAR Xfinity Series Credit One NASCAR Amex Credit 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on October 26, 2024 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by Sean Gardner\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt just shows you how good you have to be to get in the Championship Four,” Love said, noting of the Phoenix finale, \u201cI feel like if we could get there we have a shot to win.”<\/p>\n

JR Motorsports teammates Sam Mayer and Sammy Smith finished ninth and 22nd, respectively and find themselves in a similar must-win situation to Chandler Smith and Love next week at Martinsville.<\/p>\n

Joe Gibbs Racing\u2019s Aric Almirola finished third Saturday behind the Playoff drivers, with Love and JGR\u2019s Sheldon Creed rounding out the top-five. Custer\u2019s SHR teammate Riley Herbst, RSS Racing\u2019s Ryan Sieg, Allgaier, Mayer and last week\u2019s race winner Allmendinger completed the top-10.<\/p>\n

Of note, 18-year-old William Sawalich finished 24th in his much-anticipated Xfinity Series debut.<\/p>\n

The NASCAR Xfinity Series moves to the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway half-miler next week for Saturday\u2019s National Debt Relief 200 (4 p.m. ET on The CW, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). Allgaier is the defending race winner. Almirola won at the track this Spring.<\/p>\n

Interview:<\/h3>\n