Austin Hill defends himself after wrecking Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Xfinity race

Austin Hill got involved in a multi-car crash with Aric Almirola while battling for fourth place at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. While Hill seemingly wrecked Almirola on purpose, he denied any wrongdoing, saying he lost control of his #21 Chevrolet Camaro due to it getting loose.

The incident happened on lap 91 when Austin Hill was closely defending against Aric Almirola between turns three and four. His opponent was on his rear bumper when he got loose before saving the car. However, he drove into the rear right of #19 Toyota, causing both to spin out and hit the wall. Almirola settled for a DNF, while Sheldon Creed was also involved but managed to continue.

NASCAR Insider Jordan Bianchi shared Hill's statement on the incident on X and wrote:

“‘I couldn't hang onto it; I was not trying to right-rear him (Aric Almirola).’ Austin Hill.”

Watch the incident below via NASCAR Xfinity on X.

As a result, Austin Hill was given a five-lap penalty due to reckless driving. Aric Almirola, meanwhile, was released from the infield care center.

At the end of the Pennzoil 250 at the 2.5-mile Indy oval, Hill finished 34th with five laps down. Connor Zilisch won the race, marking his third consecutive victory (Sonoma, Dover, and Indianapolis). Zilisch also gave JRM its 100th win in the Xfinity Series, something Hill similarly did for RCR earlier this year at Martinsville Speedway.

Austin Hill (right) with team boss Richard Childress (left) - Source: Imagn

With a poor result at Indianapolis, Hill dropped two spots to fifth in the points standings. He has scored three wins, nine top-5s, and 12 top-10s.

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“I feel really bad for wrecking a teammate”: Austin Hill on causing a DNF for teammate Jesse Love at Martinsville

After securing Richard Childress Racing's 100th Xfinity Series win at Martinsville Speedway in March, Austin Hill apologized to his teammate, Jesse Love, for causing a race-ending crash. He admitted to feeling “really bad” for wrecking a teammate.

On lap 217, Hill approached turn one at a high speed and bumped the #16 Chevrolet of Christian Eckes. In turn, Eckes hit Love (#2) before the latter crashed into the #1 Chevy of Carson Kvapil by the outside wall.

Speaking about the incident, the now 31-year-old driver said (via The CW Sports on X):

“I'm extremely sorry to our teammate for getting in that wreck down in (turn) one,” he said. [0:26 onwards] “Started wheel hopping a little bit, and once I got under control, I hit the #16, and it took out the #2. So, I feel really, really bad for wrecking a teammate like that. I might have to give him a call after the race,” he added.

Hill was also in disbelief over how the race unfolded. He was running in fifth place when the race leaders, including Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith, crashed on the final lap, giving him a free pass on the bottom lane off turn four for the win.

In addition to the 100th win milestone, the #21 driver earned the $100,000 prize money from the Cash 4 Dash program. The program aims to provide a more thrilling racing action for top-performing drivers during a specific stretch of races.

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Edited by Anisha Chatterjee