Austin Hill has been suspended by NASCAR for one week and will be forced to miss the Xfinity Series race at Iowa Speedway. This comes after he appeared to intentionally right-hook Aric Almirola into the outside wall at Indianapolis, causing a violent crash.
Almirola moved Hill out of the way in the battle for fourth, and despite pulling off an impressive save, Hill then appeared to swerve to the left and turn Almirola head-on into the outside wall at the high-speed oval. Thankfully, no one was injured in the accident. Hill was held for five laps during the race for reckless driving, and at one point, he started throwing expletives at NASCAR over the radio.
This suspension will also severely hinder Hill’s chances of winning a championship later this year. Per NASCAR’s new waiver policy for 2025 (which RCR will surely request, or Hill will become ineligible for the playoffs), missing a race due to a suspension will result in the loss of all playoff points — both present and future. Hill had 21 bonus points but they will all be lost now and he will start the postseason with zero points.
Watch: Hill makes contact with Almirola, sending Almirola hard into the outside wall
Hill, who drives for Richard Childress Racing, denied that the contact was intentional, but the team has chosen not to appeal. Austin Dillon, who competes full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series for RCR, will pilot the No. 21 car at Iowa.
“Richard Childress Racing will not appeal the penalty NASCAR issued to the No. 21 team following the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway,” an official statement read. “We remain focused on winning a championship with Austin Hill in 2025.”
NASCAR described this as a behavioral penalty, citing Sections 4.3.A; 4.4.B & D of the NASCAR Member Code of Conduct.
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