HAMPTON, Ga. -- Austin Hill has only competed full-time in the Xfinity Series since the 2022 season, but he has already made history behind the wheel of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet.
The Georgia native has passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the most laps led on drafting tracks in the Xfinity Series.
Hill achieved this feat with a dominant win Saturday evening at his home track. He started second next to teammate Jesse Love and led 146 of the 163 laps. Per Racing Insights, this took him to 734 laps led on drafting tracks.
Stats from Austin Hill's win at Atlanta:
734 laps on drafting tracks (most all time)
8th drafting track win (T-most all time)
Led 146 laps (most he's ever led in a race)
Ran 155 laps in the Top 2 (all laps in Top 4) pic.twitter.com/qIcGD9oB3i— NASCAR Insights (@NASCARInsights) February 23, 2025
Dale Jr. previously held the record with 691 laps led on drafting tracks in the second-tier series. Dale Earnhardt Sr. was second on the list at the start of the 2025 season with 573 laps led, but Hill passed his mark during the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway.
"I know (Dale Jr.) is probably gonna be mad about it because he doesn't think Atlanta is a drafting track," Hill joked during his post-race press conference. "But I think I had told Jr. this before, 'Don't hate the player, hate the game.'"
As Hill noted, he has more opportunities to compete on drafting tracks. Dale Jr. competed at Daytona and Talladega while achieving considerable success in the process. The Atlanta reconfiguration then took the number of drafting track races from four each season to six as Hill began his full-time tenure.
Hill has more opportunities, but he also has the task of capitalizing on these opportunities. He has done just that, especially at his home track, while chasing history.
Hill has made seven starts at Atlanta Motor Speedway and has celebrated five wins, including three straight. His other two finishes at the track in Xfinity are second and 12th.
Hill has eight wins on drafting tracks in his brief Xfinity Series tenure -- five at Atlanta and three at Daytona. This puts him in a tie for the most all-time in series history. Based on his past success, he is likely to break this record before the end of the season.
"To do what we did tonight was very special," Hill continued. "I came off of Daytona, and I was pretty mad (about his DNF). Let's just leave it at that. I was very frustrated -- not mad at the team because these things happen. Mechanical issues happen. That type of stuff.
"But I was just very frustrated that we didn't lose that race on my own terms. Didn't lose the race because of something that I did wrong. I hated it for the team, and I pumped everybody up going into Atlanta this weekend, I think, myself included.
"But the entire 21 team just had that little extra oomph and that little extra pep in their step that like, 'We're going and we're winning this race.' And to be able to do it the way that we did it -- all those things -- is super special."