Austin Hill was locked-in and focused last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and it paid off in a big way. In a race that that seemed to be in rookie Chandler Smith’s reach, Hill was able to pass him up as the cars approached the white flag and hold the lead through to the end.
This was Hill’s second victory of the season, his fourth in his Xfinity Series career and his first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Hill now heads to into the next two races of the Xfinity Series, Phoenix Raceway and Atlanta Motor Speedway, with the odds for another win in his favor.
As a rookie last season, he made his first start at Phoenix Raceway in the Xfinity Series in the spring, posting a 17th-place finish. In his second stint at Phoenix in the November Championship Race, he took what he learned in his first go-around and fought his way to a top-10 finish.
At Atlanta Motor Speedway, his home track, he posted a runner-up finish in the March race and ultimately pulled off a win when the series was there in the summer.
With two wins already under his belt this season (Daytona, Las Vegas), Hill has plenty of time to beat his own record for most wins in one season, which is currently four in the 2019 NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series season.
NASCAR Xfinity Series
Next Race: United Rentals 200
The Place: Phoenix Raceway
The Date: Saturday, March 11
The Time: 4:30 p.m. ET
The Purse: $1,385,615
TV: FS1, 3:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio
Distance: 200 miles (200 Laps); Stage 1 (Ends on Lap 45),
Stage 2 (Ends on Lap 90), Final Stage (Ends on Lap 200)
Phoenix Raceway welcomes the NASCAR Xfinity Series
After a battle in the desert last weekend at Las Vegas Motor Speedway that saw Austin Hill snag the checkered flag for the second time this season, the NASCAR Xfinity Series will now be heading to Phoenix Raceway for the United Rentals 200 on Saturday, March 11 at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR radio.
There have been 42 NASCAR Xfinity Series races at the Arizona track, producing 23 different race winners and 22 different pole winners. Eleven races have been won from the pole or first starting position, most recently by Ty Gibbs in last season’s Championship Race.
Although Gibbs is the most recent pole winner, Kyle Busch is the most decorated driver in the Xfinity Series at Phoenix Raceway. He holds the qualifying record with a speed of 138.504 mph, leads the Xfinity Series in poles (10), has posted the most wins (11), top 10s (20), lead lap finishes (23), and is tied with Kevin Harvick for most top fives (17).
Xfinity Series drivers will kick off their weekend with practice on Saturday, March 11 at 12:35 p.m. ET followed by qualifying at 1:05 p.m. ET on FS1.
Busch looks to score Xfinity record for most wins at a single track at Phoenix
Leading the NASCAR Xfinity Series in wins at Phoenix Raceway is Kaulig Racing’s Kyle Busch, who will be pulling double duty and making his second Xfinity Series start of the season in the No. 10 Kaulig Racing Chevrolet this weekend. In the process, Busch will have the opportunity to break the tie with NASCAR Hall of Famer Mark Martin for the most wins in the NASCAR Xfinity Series at a single track if he wins this weekend at Phoenix. Martin and Busch are currently tied for series most wins a single track at 11 wins each – Busch (Phoenix Raceway) and Martin (Rockingham Speedway).
In his 24 starts at Phoenix, Busch has posted 11 wins (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013 sweep, 2014, 2015, 2016 sweep, 2019), 17 top fives and 20 top 10s.
His most recent Xfinity Series stint at the track was in 2020, where he won the pole and ultimately finished third.
Winners Galore: Xfinity Drivers to watch at Phoenix
With Phoenix Raceway serving as home of the 2023 Championship Race, it is a track that all drivers hope to conquer – and three fulltime Xfinity Series drivers entered in this weekend’s United Rentals 200 have done just that – Justin Allgaier, Brandon Jones and Daniel Hemric.
JR Motorsports’ Justin Allgaier has made a name for himself at the one-mile track, posting two wins (2017, 2019), nine top fives and 17 top 10s in his 25 Phoenix starts. In his most recent appearance, he posted a third-place finish.
Allgaier’s JRM teammate, Brandon Jones, added his name to this list of drivers who have found Victory Lane at Phoenix Raceway in 2020. Jones has made 14 starts at Phoenix, posting one win (2020), three top fives and six top 10s. In last year’s Spring Phoenix race, he posted a runner-up finish.
Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric heads into the weekend looking to post his second win at Phoenix Raceway after taking the checkered flag at the 2021 Xfinity Series Championship Race. In his 10 series starts at Phoenix, he has posted one win (2021), three top fives and seven top 10s. In both Phoenix races last season, he posted an eighth-place finish.
NASCAR Xfinity Series, Etc.
Carson Hocevar to make Xfinity Series debut with Spire Motorsports – NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series regular Carson Hocevar will be making his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut later this season with Spire Motorsports.
He will post his first start in the No. 77 Chevrolet at Dover Motor Speedway on April 29 and is also set to get behind the wheel at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Nashville Superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, Darlington Raceway and Bristol Motor Speedway.
Hendrick Motorsports to enter four Xfinity races in 2023 – For the second consecutive season, Hendrick Motorsports will run a part-time Xfinity Series schedule in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet.
The team will kick off the four-race stint at COTA with William Byron. Kyle Larson will be behind the wheel at Sonoma followed by Alex Bowman at Watkins Glen International. Larson will pilot the last race in September at Darlington Raceway. Crew chiefs Greg Ives and Kevin Meendering will oversee the effort.
Hendrick Motorsports has posted 26 wins and one driver’s championship (2003) in the Xfinity Series.
