Austin Hill squashed Justin Allgaier’s bid for a third consecutive season win at Martinsville Speedway in last-lap overtime on Saturday. The No. 21 Richard Childress driver made history, earning the team its 100th Xfinity victory at the U.S. Marine Corps 250. He also notched his 12th career win as he charged through the finish line in 0.190 seconds. Hill, who earned his first win of the 2025 season at Atlanta in February, did not see this coming. He qualified in third, 20.011 seconds ahead of teammate Jesse Love.
Justin Allgaier trailed, starting sixth behind Harrison Burton (P5). Connor Zilisch (P1) and Carson Kvapil (P2) took the top two starting positions for the Martinsville race. Hill is still in shock after winning the race and earning the 100,000 Dash 4 cash bonus. The Dash 4 cash bonus is a prize awarded to Xfinity drivers over four races during the mid-season. Will Hill’s luck take a back seat next week, or will he earn the season’s final Dash 4 bonus at Darlington?
Was Luck on Austin Hill’s Side?
There’s been heavy speculation that Austin Hill’s Saturday win at Martinsville was due to luck. Hill capitalized on this and highlighted reaching the checkered flag during a post-race interview. “When I saw the checkered flag, I was in disbelief,” an awestruck Hill told reporters. Hill was several car lengths behind Sammy Smith, who fought Taylor Gray for the lead when a collision ensued.
In a last-ditch effort to steal Gray’s lead, Smith made a pass on the backstretch during the final lap over time. Smith slammed into Gray’s No. 54 Toyota Supra on turn 3. The pair caught Justin Allgaier in the crossfire during the attempt, pushing him to P3. The multi-car incident then allowed Austin Hill just enough space to move to the inside and cruise to victory.
Overtime Restart Woes
After the overtime restart in P7, it was hard for Austin Hill to imagine that he would be in a winning position. He still holds on to disbelief after making it to victory lane Saturday. “I’m in disbelief I’m in Victory Lane right now,” Hill said. “That restart just got wild. “I had to do what I had to do on the last lap.” In the midst of the celebration, he also thought of teammate Jesse Love. He explained that on turn 1, Love got caught up in the scuffle between Taylor Gray and Sammy Smith.
He blames himself for pushing No. 16 Christian Eckes into Love, knocking him to P37. Gray, who led 87 of the 256 laps at the U.S. Marine Corps 250, finished in P37 and Smith in P10. Both drivers bore the sting of defeat across their faces as they watched Austin Hill emerge victorious. Gray felt his No. 54 Toyota Supra GR was the best car on the track at Martinsville, so it hit a sore spot. Still, Hill was obviously the stronger contender on the track on Saturday.
“I’m extremely sorry to our teammate for getting in that wreck down in Turn 1,” I started wheel-hoppin’ a little bit, hit the 16, and took out the 2,” Hill said apologetically.
“I feel really, really bad for wrecking a teammate like that. I’ll have to give him a call after the race,” he added.
Final Thoughts
As Austin Hill heads to Darlington for the 147-lap Sport Clips Haircuts, VFM Help a Hero 200, he stands at two wins for the season and is eyeing a third. Will he bring the same momentum to the track this weekend for another win? Hill performed strongly in Darlington last May, finishing second to JR Motorsports No.7 Justin Allgaier.
He only led six laps during the race to Allgaier’s 119. Therefore, it was an impressive finish. Allgaier beat Hill to the checkered flag by a mere 3.407 seconds and has since learned that he messed up on turn 1 on the last lap. He knows he has to avoid making the same mistake twice on Saturday, but can it be done?
