Austin Hill Bio
Austin Edward Hill, born April 21, 1994, is an American professional stock car racing driver. He competes full-time in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, driving the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS for Richard Childress Racing. Hill previously owned NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and ARCA Menards Series team Austin Hill Racing from 2013 to 2017.
A native of Winston, Georgia, Hill has built a reputation as one of the most consistent winners in NASCAR’s second-tier series. He is widely recognized for his three consecutive victories in the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway and his aggressive, confident style behind the wheel.
Early Life and Background
Austin Edward Hill was born on April 21, 1994, in Winston, Georgia. He grew up in a racing household, and from the age of six, he was behind the wheel of competitive machines. His earliest experiences came in entry-level stock car divisions, where he developed the race craft that would later define his professional career.
Hill raced Legend cars and Bandolero machines in his youth, learning the basics of drafting, passing, and race-long strategy. Those formative years shaped his understanding of stock car racing and gave him a foundation in the short-track environment that surrounds his Georgia hometown.
Despite sharing a name with another competitor, Hill is not related to Ohio-born driver Austin J. Hill. This distinction is well documented in racing media and clarified by Hill himself.
Path to NASCAR
Hill climbed the ladder of NASCAR’s development series in the early 2010s. After running sporadically in the K&N Pro Series East in 2012, he captured a win in 2013 despite running only five races that season. In 2014, he ran his first full K&N Pro Series East campaign, winning the final two races to finish fifth in points.
He continued his progress with a strong 2015 K&N Pro Series East season, earning a pole, two wins, and a third-place finish in standings. That same year, Hill debuted in the ARCA Menards Series at Daytona International Speedway, gaining valuable experience at the national level.
In 2014, Hill made his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut with RBR Enterprises, also running a partial schedule with Empire Racing. These early Truck Series starts gave him the experience needed to graduate to a full-time ride later in the decade.
Austin Hill Career
Early Career (2014–2017)
Hill spent his earliest national-level seasons balancing part-time Truck Series appearances with K&N Pro Series East competition. He ran a mix of teams, including RBR Enterprises and Empire Racing, while also running his own Austin Hill Racing entry in selected events. Through 2017, Hill was working to build both his team and his reputation.
By 2018, Hill had joined Young’s Motorsports full-time in the Truck Series, recording a top-five finish at Texas Motor Speedway. That season marked a turning point, as he proved he could run competitively at the national level and positioned himself for a premier opportunity.
Craftsman Truck Series Breakthrough (2019–2022)
On January 8, 2019, Hattori Racing Enterprises announced that Hill would drive the No. 16 Toyota Tundra full-time. The pairing came together after crew chief Scott Zipadelli reached out to Hill following Brett Moffitt’s departure. Hill responded with a statement performance, winning the season opener at Daytona and setting a track record on his way to a pole at Pocono in July. He added wins at Michigan, Las Vegas, and Homestead-Miami Speedway, finishing fifth in the final Truck Series standings.
In 2020, Hill returned to HRE and won the NASCAR Truck Series Regular Season Championship. He qualified for the playoffs, advanced to the Round of 8 with a Las Vegas victory, and ultimately was eliminated by an Ilmor engine failure at Martinsville. He was confirmed for a third full HRE season on October 30, 2020.
Hill returned to the Truck Series spotlight in February 2022, driving the No. 7 for Spire Motorsports at Daytona. That same year, he transitioned to the NASCAR Xfinity Series full-time with Richard Childress Racing, opening a new chapter of his career.
Xfinity Series Breakthrough (2022–2025)
Hill’s NASCAR Xfinity Series debut came in June 2019 at Daytona, though he missed that race with a qualifying issue. He later debuted at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, racing the high groove to a ninth-place finish. After part-time seasons in 2020 and 2021 with Hattori Racing Enterprises, Hill was announced as a full-time RCR driver on October 29, 2021.
In 2022, Hill scored his first Xfinity win at Daytona, passing A. J. Allmendinger on the final lap. He added a win at Atlanta and earned the 2022 NASCAR Xfinity Series Rookie of the Year honors while finishing sixth in the final standings. He began 2023 by winning his second straight season opener at Daytona and added wins at Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Pocono, capturing the 2023 NASCAR Xfinity Series Regular Season Championship.
In 2024, Hill made history with his third consecutive Daytona season-opening win. He followed it with an Atlanta victory, won a third race at Atlanta later that season, and won at Homestead-Miami Speedway to reach the Championship 4. In 2025, he rebounded from a 33rd-place Daytona DNF to win at Atlanta, Martinsville, and Talladega. After an Indianapolis incident with Aric Almirola led to a one-race suspension and the loss of playoff points, Hill was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs but later swept Talladega with a fall win.
Cup Series Efforts (2022–2025)
On August 2, 2022, Richard Childress Racing announced Hill would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut in the No. 33 at Michigan. He attempted the 2023 Daytona 500 with Beard Motorsports but failed to make the field after a late crash in Duel 2. In 2024, RCR confirmed Hill would run a multi-race Cup schedule in the No. 33 starting at Texas, and in March 2025, RCR announced an expanded Cup slate beginning at Darlington. He scored his first Cup top-ten with a ninth-place finish at the Chicago street course race.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hill is known for his strength on superspeedways and intermediates, where his drafting ability and willingness to push the racing groove pay off. His aggressive posture, paired with sharp race craft, has produced five consecutive Daytona-Xfinity wins between 2022 and 2025. He is equally effective in fuel-mileage situations and late-race restarts.
Notable Races and Milestones
Hill’s three straight Xfinity Series season-opening wins at Daytona from 2022 to 2024 stand as his most defining milestone. He has also swept Talladega in 2025 and recorded his first Cup Series top-ten at the Chicago street race. His battles with Cole Custer at Charlotte and Aric Almirola at Indianapolis have become part of his recent story, illustrating both his intensity and his willingness to stand his ground.
Austin Hill Career Wins
Across the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series, Austin Hill has built a resume defined by superspeedway success and consistent winning. He is a two-time regular-season champion and a former series Rookie of the Year, with multiple signature wins at Daytona, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Pocono, Martinsville, Talladega, and Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Xfinity Series Highlights
Hill’s first Xfinity win came at Daytona in 2022, followed by an Atlanta victory the same season. He has since added wins at Las Vegas, Atlanta, Pocono, Daytona, Atlanta, Atlanta, Homestead-Miami, Atlanta, Martinsville, and Talladega across the 2023, 2024, and 2025 seasons. His three consecutive season-opening wins at Daytona from 2022 through 2024 are a defining achievement in his career.
Other Wins and Performances
In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, Hill scored wins at Daytona, Michigan, Las Vegas, and Homestead-Miami Speedway across 2019 and 2020, capturing the 2020 Truck Series Regular Season Championship. His K&N Pro Series East totals include three wins, with consistent top-five finishes across 2013 through 2015.
Austin Hill Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Hill’s racing roots are deeply tied to his family in Winston, Georgia. He owned and operated his own team, Austin Hill Racing, from 2013 through 2017, with his family playing an important role in that venture. His Georgia upbringing and short-track background shaped his identity as a driver.
Personal Life
Austin Hill is married to Ashlyn Hill, and the couple has three children: two daughters, Lynnlee and Kensley, and a son, Barrett. The family remains based in the Georgia racing community that nurtured his career from the earliest stages.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series campaign has been a tale of two halves for Hill. He opened with a 33rd-place DNF at Daytona but rebounded the following week with a win at Atlanta. He added wins at Martinsville and Talladega during the regular season, building enough momentum to enter the playoffs with 21 bonus points.
His playoff run hit a major obstacle at Indianapolis, where an intentional right-rear hook of Aric Almirola led to a five-lap penalty, a one-race suspension, and the loss of all 21 playoff points. Hill was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs but quickly responded with a Talladega victory that completed a season sweep of the 2.66-mile track.
Looking ahead, Hill remains firmly entrenched at Richard Childress Racing in the No. 21 Chevrolet Camaro SS and continues to expand his NASCAR Cup Series schedule in the No. 33. With his superspeedway speed and a renewed focus on race craft, he remains one of the most talked-about drivers in NASCAR’s national series.
