Austin Hill Battles Adversity to Earn Top-20 Finish at Atlanta
March 5, 2017NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
Active Pest Control 200
Atlanta Motor Speedway
March 4, 2017
Race Highlights:
• The Active Pest Control 200 marked the 2nd race of the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck season and first race for Austin Hill, in the newly formed partnership with Young’s Motorsports.
• Hill started 27th and raced his way as high as 15th during the 130-lap race.
• A NASCAR Next alumnus, Hill had one previous start at the Atlanta, G.A. facility in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Hill had previously competed under his Austin Hill Racing team in 2016, qualifying 23rd and finishing 12th.
• Christopher Bell earned his third career NCWTS victory and was followed to the finish line by Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, Ben Rhodes and Chase Elliott.
• Hill’s next scheduled event is at Martinsville Speedway on Saturday, April 1st. The race will broadcast live on FOX at 3 p.m. ET.
Austin Hill Battles Adversity to Earn Top-20 Finish at Atlanta
Austin Hill and his No. Don Rich Ford, Lone Survivor Foundation, Kysek Ford F-150 team battled an ill-handling truck and a loose wheel on pit road Saturday, en route to a top-20 finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway. After starting the 130-lap event from the 27th position, the Winston, G.A. native radioed in that his truck was loose all around the track, and made worse in traffic. Working traffic to better the aero handling of the truck, Hill climbed as high as 15th in the early stages of the race. Unfortunately, shortly after the races second stage on lap 80, Hill radioed to crew chief Bruce Cook, that he had a strong vibration, and he thought he had a loose wheel. Coming to pit road on lap 92, under green flag racing, Hill’s team quickly gave him four fresh Goodyear tires. As he regained the field, he found himself a lap down, now working to earn the Lucky Dog award. A quick caution on lap 103, allowed the NASCAR Next alumni to earn the Lucky Dog and regain the field on the lead lap. Making quick quick work of the remaining laps, Hill battled his way through the heavy traffic, to bring home the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Ford in the 18th position.
Start – 27 Finish – 18 Laps Led – 0
AUSTIN HILL QUOTE:
“It’s always a lot of fun to race in front of your hometown crowd and that’s what coming to Atlanta Motor Speedway allows me to do. We had a decent truck all weekend, fought with some issues during practice Friday, but I felt our crew chief Bruce (Cook) had us dialed in for the race, when the sun started to set and the track conditions changed. For some reason the truck was very loose the moment the green flag flew and stayed that way the entire race, making it hard to pass other trucks. Our team never quit and we continued to work to make our truck better. I cant thank my crew, my family and all of our partners for their support and I cant wait to get back to the track at Martinsville (Speedway) next month.”
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About Austin Hill
Austin Hill, a Winston, Ga. native, is driven to become the next big name in NASCAR. The 22-year-old is driving a partial schedule in the 2017 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Hill is a two-year member of NASCAR Next, a program designed to cultivate and promote the sports’ next generation of superstars. Over his career, Hill has secured five NASCAR K&N victories and one pole award. Hill started his racing career at the age of six in Quarter Midgets. He won the 2002 Quarter Midget championship at his home track in Cumming, Ga. and went on to excel in Bandolero, Legends Semi-Pro Series and Pro Late Model Series racing. Hill currently resides in Salisbury, N.C. with his wife, Ashlyn, and daughter, Lynnlee.
