Austin Hill was never eligible to make it to the playoffs, thanks to his suspension early on in the season. Still, he made sure to leave Talladega with the last laugh. The Richard Childress Racing driver capped off his sweep at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, fending off the field in a tense overtime restart to take the checkered flag. Hill’s No. 21 Chevrolet dominated the afternoon, leading 48 of 100 laps to complete a season sweep at NASCAR’s biggest track. However, the win came with a side of controversy.
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Back in April, Hill had already made headlines at Talladega when a fan accused him on X of flipping them off while being pushed to Victory Lane. And then again, last Sunday, Hill returned to the same spot, the same track, and, coincidentally, the same fan.
As Hill celebrated his final Xfinity Series win of the season, on the front stretch, the fan fired the first shot, flashing a middle finger. Hill shot one right back. This time, the fan caught it on camera, and the photo instantly went viral.
The fan later posted, “To clarify some context to the picture: Yes he flipped us off Yes we did it first Yes we thought it was hilarious No he shouldn’t be punished I respect the gesture and it adds to the needed personality the field needs I may hate him, but I love to hate him cuz that’s sports.”
With speculation that the exchange might land Hill in hot water, Jeff Gluck confirmed, “No NASCAR penalty report this week. Austin Hill not fined for flipping off the fans who were shooting him the middle finger after his Talladega win.”
No NASCAR penalty report this week. Austin Hill not fined for flipping off the fans who were shooting him the middle finger after his Talladega win.
— Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) October 22, 2025
Even Dale Earnhardt Jr. applauded Hill’s reaction, and fans, supporters, and haters rallied behind him. One wrote, “I dislike hill as much as the next guy, but….. That shit is hilarious and I’m proud he wasn’t fined for it.”
Another added, “I’m a certified Austin Hill Hater, but I support the decision not to penalize that.” Others chimed in, urging NASCAR, saying, “Good, let the personality breathe.” One die-hard Hill hater said, “As an Hill hater, thank goodness and that was funny what he did it.”
Hill later laughed off the moment, saying he took no offense, as he was just having fun. He recounted how they were all laughing back and forth about it — nothing malicious, nothing negative — just horsing around.
For Hill, that playful banter is part of what makes racing special. According to him, when a driver wins races and is able to mess around with the fans and crack jokes with other drivers, it’s purely harmless.
And that is one of the reasons why the #21 RCR driver loves racing. That’s why he loves to win races: to mess around with the fans. Give it back to them when they give it to him.
