On the latest episode of his podcast, NASCAR Hall of Famer Dale Earnhardt Jr responded to Austin Hill’s comments about JR Motorsports following last Friday’s NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Daytona.
Since EchoPark Speedway added another drafting track to the schedule in 2022, Richard Childress Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series program has won 11 of 22 races at drafting tracks. So, when the Xfinity Series heads to a drafting track, it feels like an RCR Chevrolet is a shoo-in for the win.
Of those 11 wins, 31-year-old Austin Hill is responsible for nine, making him the most skilled in the draft of all Xfinity Series drivers.
But, this past Friday at Daytona International Speedway, Hill, despite running towards the front, did not look like his normal dominant self. In fact, Hill would finish the race with a DNF after crashing during a late run in turns three and four on the final lap of the race.
Some looked at this performance and felt as if the field was working against Hill, not wanting to help the usually dominant No. 21 to the front.
During a post-race interview with Matt Weaver of Motorsport.com, Hill spoke on the matter, saying the race was “normal,” though he did point a finger at JR Motorsports, saying they would rather help other OEMs than their Chevrolet teammates.
“We never had the JRM cars help us. It doesn’t matter if they’re Chevy Alliance or not. They don’t help us at all. They would rather work with a Toyota or Ford than us.” — Austin Hill
JRM has dominated this season, winning 14 or 24 races with a combined eight drivers. The team continued this consistency on Saturday with all four of their entries finishing in the top ten, including a win for substitute driver Parker Kligerman, and a 1-2-3 finish.
But, despite the banner weekend for the team, its owner, Dale Earnhardt Jr, did not overlook Hill’s comments.
During Tuesday’s episode of The Dale Jr Download, the 50-year-old veteran team owner addressed Hill’s comments, saying that he tells JRM’s drivers that helping Hill get to the front is not a winning strategy, as the No. 21 is just as good defensively as he is offensively at drafting tracks.
“With all due respect to Austin Hill, he’s got the best track record in the Xfinity Series at Daytona [and] Talladega in the last handful of years. So, I tell my guys, ‘Listen, if you want to run second, help Austin Hill.’ If you push Austin Hill out into the lead with a couple laps to go, he’s f***ing hard to get around.” — Dale Earnhardt Jr
After reading the quote from Hill, Earnhardt even said that he agrees with Hill, reiterating that if you help the No. 21, you will get to the front of the pack, but that does not mean your chances of winning the race increase.
“Help that 21 all you want,” Earnhardt said. “Yeah, you’ll go to the front, but your likelihood of beating him and winning the race, it kind of goes down; your chances of winning the race go up when you don’t help him.”
But, ultimately, Earnhardt stressed that telling his drivers this is not personal; rather, he suggests that it’s a result of Hill’s refined skill at drafting tracks. “You have to learn over time that you do need to limit how much you help him,” Earnhardt said.
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