Austin Hill captures action-filled Xfinity race at Martinsville

The speedway that robbed Austin Hill of a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 two years ago gave him a gift on Saturday.

Diving underneath a trio of wrecking cars in the final corner of overtime at Martinsville Speedway, Hill beat perennial bridesmaid Sheldon Creed to the finish line by 0.190 seconds to win Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250, giving team owner Richard Childress his 100th win in the series and earning a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the unlikely winner.

The ending of the race couldn’t have been more appropriate, given the rash of cautions that peppered green-flag action in the final stage. The ending also left 29th-place finisher Taylor Gray with thoughts of vengeance and 10th-place finisher Sammy Smith with an ostensible target on his back.

After the 14th caution for Matt DiBenedetto’s spin in Turn 2 sent the race to overtime, Gray lined up behind Smith, the leader, and used his bumper to wrest the top spot from Smith. Gray was returning the favor from the previous restart on Lap 249 of 256.

Austin Hill poses with the Xfinity Dash 4 Cash $100,000 bonus check. AFP

Gray, seeking his first Xfinity Series win, held the lead until Turn 3 of the final lap, when Smith charged into the corner, spun Gray’s No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota and knocked it into the outside wall.

Hill hit the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet of Justin Allgaier from behind and sent him crashing into Smith. Hill sneaked through on the bottom, bringing Creed with him, as Allgaier held on for third.

In the surprising victory, Hill led less than a quarter mile before taking the checkered flag.

“I chose the bottom because of how rough everybody was on restarts,” Hill said of the overtime. “I had to do what I had to do on the last lap. On that restart, it just got wild. We were definitely leaning on each other, and getting into (Turn) 3, I knew we were all going to get beating and banging, and I just drove it in as deep as I could.

“The all hit each other, and I hit the 7 (Allgaier) a little bit and dumped him off and got on the apron there and came home with the win. … Man, I’m in disbelief that we’re in victory lane right not. It’s unbelievable. I actually said at the end of the race that I hated this place because of all the beating and banging that was going on — and to top it off, we won a hundred grand!”

Austin Hill celebrates in victory lane. AFP

After 14 cautions for 104 laps, pole winner Connor Zilisch’s sweep of the first two stages seemed a distant memory. Zilisch, however, didn’t figure in the outcome after a series of spins and contact with the outside wall eliminated him from contention and he finished 28th.

Gray took the lead for the second time on Lap 183 and held it for 66 circuits and a series of six restarts. But Smith lined up behind the No. 54 Toyota for the restart on Lap 249 and moved Gray for the lead.

Smith’s charge into Gray’s Toyota on the final lap was more egregious.

“I feel like we had the best car all day,” said Gray, who suffered a similar fate in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series loss to Christian Eckes last year. “I can’t thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing enough. We brought a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra.

“Just unfortunate — it’s the same story I’ve lived here for the past two Martinsville race in a row. It sucks, but it is what it is. Long year.”

Smith acknowledged that the last lap maneuver was over the top. He and Gray had a testy exchange after the race.

“I’m not proud of that, but if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing,” Smith said. “He’s got no respect for me. … He was flipping me off on the red flag (for a multicar wreck that caused the 12th caution), swore at me. It was definitely uncalled for.

“I’m not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing. That’s what I told him.”

Brennan Poole finished fourth after the melee, joining Hill, Creed and Allgaier as eligible contenders for the next Dash 4 Cash bonus, to be contested April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Sam Mayer was fifth, followed by Dean Thompson, Daniel Dye, Ryan Sieg, Kris Wright and Smith.

Zilisch led a race-high 100 laps to 87 for Gray. Creed, still seeking his first Xfinity victory, finished second for the 14th time, extending his record number of runner-up results for a non-winner.

Coincidentally, it was contact from Creed that denied Hill a spot in the Championship 4 in the fall race of 2023 — when both drivers raced for RCR.

Associated Press