Austin Hill will sit out this weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway after Richard Childress Racing confirmed it would not appeal NASCAR’s one-race suspension stemming from last Saturday’s Pennzoil 250 at Indianapolis incident. The team announced on social media that Austin Dillon will drive the #21 car in Hill’s absence following his retaliatory contact with Aric Almirola in Turn 4 with just 10 laps to go.
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The clash began when Almirola nudged Hill into a slide in Turn 3. After Hill gathered his car, he returned the favor by tagging the right-rear of the #19, sending Almirola headfirst into the outside wall. Almirola’s day ended prematurely with a 35th-place finish, while Hill continued but was parked for five laps by NASCAR for aggressive driving.
On Tuesday, NASCAR dropped the hammer, suspending Hill for one race and stripping him of all 21 playoff points accrued this season under a new 2025 rule. Though he remains playoff-eligible with a waiver, he cannot earn additional playoff points through the end of the regular season.
That means, with just three races left (that he can be a part of), at Watkins Glen, Daytona, and Portland, Hill must win again to punch his ticket to the postseason.
But not everyone is on board with granting him an easy way back. Kaulig Racing’s Chris Rice voiced strong opposition to a waiver during his appearance on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. In his eyes, the punishment should stick, and Hill should earn his playoff berth the hard way.
“I think in this situation, the driver should lose all his points and the team should keep their points because you, in Xfinity, you’re racing for owner points and driver points.”
“It’s a little different than Cup… I think a driver should have to come back and win again. Because at some point, we got to explain to these race car drivers that these guys spend a lot of money for them to race cars.”
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Rice continued, “They go out and get a lot of sponsors for these guys to race cars… I look at it from Richard’s side. I’m standing in Richard’s shoes… There are drivers, and we have to handle them internally. And, it’s, it’s just bad, right?”
“Like you try to figure out a way that he didn’t do it. You try to figure out something that he didn’t do, but maybe the driver shouldn’t get a chance. Maybe he should have to come back and win.”
Hill’s suspension marks the first time a driver has lost playoff points due to an on-track disciplinary action. With three wins and eight top-five finishes in 21 starts, Hill was on cruise control toward a Round of 12 berth. Now, that road has narrowed to a must-win scenario, with everything riding on the following three races.
