Expect the unexpected when NASCAR rolls into the Talladega Superspeedway. Carnage can happen at any time at NASCAR’s biggest and widest track. The Xfinity Series put on a pretty clean race for much of Saturday’s Ag-Pro 300. Richard Childress Racing once again flexed its drafting power, as both Jesse Love and Austin Hill were able to put their cars at the front.
When the race was all said and done, Hill once again showed why he’s the best at that type of racing.
OFFICIAL: @_AustinHill was the leader at the time of the caution.
He wins at @TALLADEGA. pic.twitter.com/b0tLScVCtu
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) April 26, 2025
Austin Hill Continues Historic Run at Drafting Tracks with Talladega Win
Jesse Love put his No. 2 in the pole position. He was looking to back up his Daytona win at the start of the season. Love was a contender throughout the race, as he and teammate Austin Hill tried to control the race. That has been the case for RCR for the better part of three-plus years. It was a Chevrolet-type race. The RCR pair was out front a lot, as were rookies Christian Eckes and Nick Sanchez.
JR Motorsports wasn’t a team to sleep on either, as Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, and even Connor Zilisch were near the front throughout the race. Stage one flew by as the first 26 laps went green, and Jesse Love was able to hold off a charge from both Austin Hill and Sheldon Creed.
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The Sheriff of Drafting Does What He Does Best
Yep, going to call Austin Hill the sheriff of drafting from now on. After a green-flag heavy first stage, the second stage continued the trend. The race went another 25-plus without any issues on track. This time, Austin Hill got the better of everyone else as he captured the green and white checkered flag over teammate Love.
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Good, hard racing is something special, especially at a superspeedway like Talladega. Sure, this race was able to stay clean for more than the first half of the race, but it was still Talladega. Trouble was brewing.
Business Picks Up in Final Segment
JRM and Joe Gibbs Racing were trying to spoil the party for Austin Hill and Jesse Love in the final stage as both teams got their best drivers to the front. Connor Zilisch was trying not to get caught up in a crash. As he was making moves, his team owner, Dale Jr, would appreciate. On the Gibbs side, Brandon Jones and Aric Almirola were having far better days than rookie William Sawalich, who ended his race with an engine issue.
Things got exciting after the final pit stops of the race. As the cars got packed up following green flag stops, Sammy Smith got tangled up with Ryan Sieg and Greg Van Alst. The trio got into the wall, and Sieg’s No. 39 car was destroyed.
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Things got more and more wild, with less than 10 laps to go, as everyone was fighting for position to set up a move to get the lead. This time it was a four-car crash. As Aric Almirola tried to clear the track in front of Katherine Legge, only to not successful, causing a multi-car wreck. That wreck also knocked Jeffrey Earnhardt and Brandon Jones out of contention.
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Hill Sneaks Another One
It all set up for a very exciting shootout to the finish. With so many drivers hungry to win, including Jeb Burton, Zilisch, and Love. The race came down to the final lap, as Zilisch held the lead in front of Love, only to get knocked out of the way and spin down into the inside wall. Zilisch made a heavy impact with the inside wall.
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While Connor was wrecking, a three-wide fight to hold the lead as the caution flew was on between Burton, Love, and Austin Hill. It all came down to a judgment call by NASCAR. Who was the lucky one? None other than Austin Hill, who claimed his ninth win on a drafting track in his Xfinity Series Career. That gives him the most all-time, and you’re talking about elite company with Dale Sr and Tony Stewart, who were very formidable at this form of racing.
Austin Hill once again delivers on the superspeedway. Nobody can stop Austin Hill, no matter what they throw at him.
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Featured Image Credit: Logan Riely, Getty Images. 4/26/2025
