What a weekend it was in Indianapolis. Saturday’s Xfinity Series race certainly delivered plenty of major talking points for the sport. Connor Zilisch once again proved to be arguably the best young talent seen in years. Not to mention his team celebrated a memorable milestone following his win. Plus, Austin Hill sure put himself in some hot water.
JRM Reaches 100 Xfinity Series Victories. Meanwhile, Austin Hill is Becoming a Problem
JR Motorsports had a lot of hope coming into Indianapolis, with their rookie star Connor Zilisch having won the last two races. He was looking for a third-straight win and also to score that 100th victory for Dale Earnhardt Jr’s team. As were teammates Justin Allgaier, Sammy Smith, and Carson Kvapil.
It wasn’t an easy task for any of those drivers on Saturday, as Kyle Larson was also in the field. As was Aric Almirola in the No. 19 for Joe Gibbs Racing. However, Almirola had a very unfortunate ending to his day in the closing laps of the race, but more on that later.
Would it have been great to see Allgaier get win #100? Sure, but a late race restart saw him and Kyle Larson make contact, and Allgaier ended up wrecked. That opened the door for the freshly turned 19-year-old phenom Zilisch to strike once again. Not only did Connor score his fifth win of the season, but it was his third in a row. Plus, his third win on an oval this season. Connor has all but proven he’s more than just a road course driver.
CONNOR ZILISCH CAPTURES THE 100TH WIN FOR JR MOTORSPORTS AT INDIANAPOLIS! pic.twitter.com/SqCTeLuJOw
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) July 26, 2025
What does 100 victories mean for JRM?
JRM has made itself into one of the biggest teams the NASCAR Xfinity Series has to offer, and Zilisch’s win at Indy further proved that. The victory marked the 100th win for JRM, and they certainly don’t look like they will be slowing down anytime soon. It’s not easy to win races in NASCAR, let alone 100 as a team, and JR Motorsports has had some huge names take them to victory lane. From the first in 2008 with Mark Martin in Las Vegas, to Connor’s win on Saturday.
Dale Jr has built a machine, and they have created a lot of great drivers. Zilisch is going to be the next one.
HISTORY AT THE BRICKYARD! pic.twitter.com/80lZpb3nwq
— JR Motorsports (@JRMotorsports) July 26, 2025
Suspension or Not?
While Zilisch and JRM were taking control in the closing laps, a little further back in the field, a mess was brewing. On lap 91, Aric Almirola was battling with the No. 21 of Austin Hill for position. Almirola made a bit of an aero move, which knocked Hill up the track. Hill saved it but then proceeded to right hook Almirola head-on into the wall.
It wasn’t a good move at all by Hill, and it was clearly intentional, as shown in the video.
The yellow flag is out at @IMS following this incident involving multiple cars.@Aric_Almirola exited the No. 19 under his own power. pic.twitter.com/tOaYGsLFJw
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) July 26, 2025
Hill eventually got a penalty from NASCAR, as he was held for five laps. But if that wasn’t enough, he continued to dig himself a bigger hole, honestly. His radio communication was full of profanity, and he told NASCAR itself to f-off. Certainly made a mess of himself. It’s pretty clear that Austin did that intentionally, and the fact that he stands by it, and his car owner, Richard Childress, also defended his actions, isn’t playing into his innocence. Aric could have been hurt.
Precedence says Hill won’t be racing at Iowa, but that’s NASCAR’s call. One thing is for sure: this right hooking nonsense is going to get someone hurt. Hill has been known to throw temper tantrums. Look no further than his antics at Martinsville.
Great racing at the front and the 100th win for JRM, overshadowed by a driver acting stupid, what else is new?
Read More: Austin Hill Wins Xfinity Series Race at Martinsville That Leaves Ugly Stain on Sport
Main Photo: James Gilbert, Getty Images
Recording Date: 7/26/2025
