Approaching the white flag for Saturday’s Alsco Uniforms 300, NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill “painted the (white) line perfectly.” At the same time, race leader Chandler Smith narrowly missed the mark at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
It’s all it took for Hill to cruise to his second win in three events this season and keep Richard Childress Racing the hottest franchise in the industry.
What a finish in Vegas! pic.twitter.com/ZRHY5c6Dvv
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 5, 2023
Xfinity Series Driver Austin Hill Hits Jack Pot In Vegas
With about 10 laps remaining Saturday, Smith appeared poised to cash in on his first career checkered flag, leading Hill by three seconds at one point.
But Hill remained patient, setting himself up for the final run.
“I saw him get tight,” Hill told Fox Sports, explaining his last-lap clinching maneuver. “You really had to paint the line down on (turns) three and four.
“If you missed it by a half of an inch, you paid for it for the whole lap.”
Smith paid it by losing a race he led for 115 laps.
“I painted the line perfectly,” Hill said, adding Smith lost momentum when he started venturing up the track.
Hill stayed low and propelled past the rookie running in his sixth career Xfinity event.
“I knew if we could clear him down the front stretch, we could hold him off,” Hill said, celebrating his second win and third top-top finish in three Xfinity races for RCR this season.
Could taste victory … pic.twitter.com/a9ra49PETf
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) March 5, 2023
Chandler Smith: ‘It’s A Tough Pill To Swallow’
Hill appeared to have lost too much time earlier during Stage 3 when he found himself logged into traffic and nearly crashing out. He watched Smith begin to pull away as his Kaulig Racing machine “got really far out” from the field.
So far out, Smith said he could feel his first series win was within his reach. Until Hill’s patient approach overpowered his fading machine. Unable to maintain his power in the closing laps, Smith attempted to fend off Hill and Justin Allgaier, who placed second for his third straight top-three outing.
But once Smith missed his white line mark on the fourth turn, with the white flag waving, Hill and Allgaier seized the advantage, forcing Hill to P3.
“It’s a tough pill to swallow,” said Smith, who captured a Truck Series race at Las Vegas last March. “I got tight there at the very end. It is what it is.
“There’s things I could have done.”
But he didn’t.
Kyle Busch, who captured the Truck Series Victoria’s Voice Foundation 200 Friday night, finished fourth Saturday. Josh Berry, who will fill in for injured Chase Elliott during the Cup Series’ Pennzoil 400 Sunday, rounded out the top five.
“The whole race, I was just trying to be disciplined,” said Hill, celebrating his fourth Xfinity win.
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