Austin Hill Bio
Austin Edward Hill, born on April 21, 1994, is an American professional stock car racing driver from Winston, Georgia. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing, and also runs a partial schedule in the NASCAR Cup Series with the same organization. Over the course of his career, Hill has built a reputation as a versatile and aggressive competitor across NASCAR’s national and regional touring divisions.
Standing 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighing around 240 pounds, Hill is a physically imposing presence behind the wheel. He previously owned and operated Austin Hill Racing, a team that fielded entries in both the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and the ARCA Menards Series between 2013 and 2017. His journey from Georgia short tracks to national NASCAR competition reflects years of consistent development and a willingness to compete across multiple disciplines.
Early Life and Background
Austin Edward Hill was born and raised in Winston, Georgia, a small community west of Atlanta that has produced a steady stream of racing talent. Growing up in the heart of the southeastern short-track scene, Hill was introduced to motorsports at a young age. He began racing competitively when he was six years old, starting his career in entry-level equipment designed to teach young drivers the basics of race craft and car control.
Hill’s early development centered on Legend cars and Bandolero racing, two popular grassroots disciplines that serve as common proving grounds for aspiring stock car drivers. These lightweight machines allowed Hill to learn the fundamentals of passing, drafting, and managing traffic, all skills that would later translate to higher-profile NASCAR competition. His family played a key role in his progression, supporting his career and eventually helping him launch a family-owned team in the ARCA Menards Series East.
Path to NASCAR
Hill’s progression through the NASCAR ladder began in the K&N Pro Series East, now known as the ARCA Menards Series East, where he made his first start in 2012 at Columbus. He scored his first victory in the series in 2013 at Dover, demonstrating early speed and composure. His first full season came in 2014, and despite a slow start, he won the final two races of the year to finish fifth in the championship standings.
In 2015, Hill elevated his performance with a family-owned effort, capturing a pole position, two victories, and only one finish outside the top ten. That season placed him third in points and caught the attention of higher-tier teams. He made his ARCA Menards Series debut that same year at Daytona International Speedway, expanding his resume to include NASCAR’s national touring divisions. The groundwork was now in place for Hill to attempt the jump to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2016.
Austin Hill Career
Early Career (2014–2017)
Hill’s first taste of NASCAR national series competition came in 2014 when he debuted in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series with RBR Enterprises at Martinsville Speedway. Later that year, he picked up part-time work with Empire Racing, gaining valuable seat time despite limited resources. He balanced these Truck Series starts with a continued presence in the ARCA Menards Series East, where he collected additional wins and built a reputation as a rising talent from the Southeast.
During the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Hill ran a part-time Truck Series schedule while fielding his own equipment under the Austin Hill Racing banner. The team faced the typical challenges of a small operation, including several failed qualifying attempts early in 2016, but it gave Hill the freedom to develop as a driver and team owner. By 2017, the experience gained from running his own program prepared him for a more established opportunity with a well-funded team.
Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2018–2021)
Hill joined Young’s Motorsports for a full Truck Series season in 2018, earning a top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway and signaling his readiness to compete for wins. The following year, he landed a full-time ride with Hattori Racing Enterprises, taking over the No. 16 Toyota Tundra after Brett Moffitt departed the team. Crew chief Scott Zipadelli played a key role in securing the deal, and the partnership produced immediate results.
Hill scored his first career national series victory at the 2019 Daytona season opener, a marquee triumph that announced his arrival as a winner. He added additional wins at Michigan and Las Vegas later that season, advancing to the Round of 6 in the playoffs before being eliminated. In 2020, he captured the NASCAR Truck Series Regular Season Championship, and he continued to be a consistent presence in the top ten. By the time he departed the series, he had accumulated eight career Truck Series wins, with his last victory coming in 2021 at Watkins Glen.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Breakthrough (2019–2024)
Hill made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut in 2019 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, finishing ninth. After several part-time seasons, he was announced as a full-time Xfinity driver with Richard Childress Racing on October 29, 2021. Driving the No. 21 Chevrolet, Hill quickly justified the promotion by winning his first Xfinity race at Daytona in 2022, where he passed A. J. Allmendinger on the final lap. He earned the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year award and finished sixth in the championship standings.
Hill built on that success in 2023 by winning the NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship, his second straight season-opening victory at Daytona, and additional wins at Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Pocono. The 2024 season brought even more history, as Hill became the first driver to win three straight Xfinity Series openers at Daytona. He also won back-to-back races at Atlanta and added a third victory later in the year at the same track. During the 2024 playoffs, a win at Homestead-Miami Speedway advanced him to the Championship 4, cementing his status as one of the series’ elite competitors.
Richard Childress Racing Cup Era (2022–Present)
Hill made his NASCAR Cup Series debut on August 2, 2022, driving the No. 33 Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway for Richard Childress Racing. He attempted to qualify for the 2023 Daytona 500 with Beard Motorsports but failed to make the field. In 2024, RCR confirmed that Hill would drive the No. 33 in a multi-race Cup schedule starting at Texas Motor Speedway, and in 2025, the organization extended the arrangement with another multi-race slate beginning at Darlington.
During the 2025 Cup Series campaign, Hill scored his first career Cup top-ten finish with a ninth-place result on the Chicago street course. He has continued to balance his Cup duties with his full-time Xfinity ride, and on June 6, 2026, Richard Childress confirmed at Michigan International Speedway that Hill would drive the No. 33 for the remainder of the 2026 Cup Series season. Across 16 Xfinity wins, Hill has proven to be one of the most consistent drivers in the series.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hill is widely regarded as a strong superspeedway and drafting-track driver, with multiple victories at Daytona, Atlanta, and Talladega highlighting his comfort in pack racing. His ability to read closing speeds and time late-race restarts has produced some of the most dramatic finishes in recent Xfinity Series history. He is also known for his short-run speed, which has allowed him to capitalize on track position during aggressive restarts at intermediate ovals.
Notable Races and Milestones
Hill’s first Xfinity Series win at Daytona in 2022, earned with a last-lap pass, remains one of the defining moments of his career. His three consecutive season-opening victories at Daytona from 2022 to 2024 made him the first driver in series history to accomplish that feat. The 2023 Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship and the 2020 Truck Series Regular Season Championship stand as the highest honors of his career to date.
Austin Hill Career Wins
Austin Hill has accumulated an impressive total of 24 verified national and regional NASCAR victories, spanning the Craftsman Truck Series, the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and the ARCA Menards Series East. His win list reflects both short-track development and national series success, with triumphs on ovals, road courses, and superspeedways.
O’Reilly Auto Parts Series Highlights
Hill has earned 16 wins in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, along with 95 top-ten finishes and 7 pole positions. His first victory came at the 2022 Daytona season opener, and he has since added multiple wins at Atlanta, Las Vegas, Pocono, Homestead-Miami, Martinsville, and Talladega. His three consecutive season-opening wins at Daytona from 2022 through 2024 cemented his reputation as a top-tier talent in the series.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Hill collected 8 wins, 54 top-ten finishes, and 3 pole positions, with his final victory coming in 2021 at Watkins Glen. Earlier in his career, he won 5 races in the ARCA Menards Series East, including his first at Dover in 2013. These regional and touring series results helped establish the foundation for his rise to national prominence.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series | 16 | 95 | 7 |
| NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series | 8 | 54 | 3 |
| ARCA Menards Series East | 5 | 24 | 1 |
Austin Hill Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Hill comes from a family that has long supported his racing career, and his parents backed his early efforts in Legend cars and Bandoleros. His family also operated Austin Hill Racing, the team that fielded entries in the ARCA Menards Series East and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series during the mid-2010s. Despite sharing a name, Hill is not related to fellow driver Austin J. Hill, who is from Ohio.
Personal Life
Austin Hill is married to his wife, Ashlyn Hill. Together, the couple has three children: two daughters, Lynnlee and Kensley, and a son, Barrett. Hill and his family continue to make their home in the Southeast, where he remains connected to the regional short-track community that launched his career.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season opened with a 33rd-place DNF at Daytona for Hill, but he rebounded the following week with a victory at Atlanta. He added further wins at Martinsville and Talladega, reinforcing his strength on drafting-style tracks. Despite the on-track success, an incident at Indianapolis led to a one-race suspension and the loss of his 21 playoff points, and he was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. He later swept Talladega for the season with a second win at the Alabama superspeedway.
In the NASCAR Cup Series, Hill drove the No. 33 for Richard Childress Racing on a multi-race schedule that began at Darlington. He posted his first career Cup top-ten finish with a ninth-place result on the Chicago street course, marking a major personal milestone. Crew chief continuity within the RCR organization helped him adapt quickly to the higher level of competition across the season.
Looking ahead, Hill remains a central figure in the RCR stable, with the team’s June 2026 announcement confirming him in the No. 33 for the remainder of the Cup Series schedule. His proven Xfinity success, including 16 wins and a regular season championship, positions him as a strong candidate to expand his Cup presence in the seasons to come.
