Austin Hill wins in a bizarre, action-filled NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Martinsville Speedway last Saturday in the Marine Corps 250.
MARTINSVILLE, Va.—The speedway that robbed Austin Hill of a spot in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship 4 two years ago gave him a gift on Saturday.
Austin Hil Wins at Martinsville
Diving underneath a trio of wrecking cars in the final corner of overtime at Martinsville Speedway, Hill beat perennial bridesmaid Sheldon Creed to the finish line by 0.190 seconds. Winning Saturday’s US Marine Corps 250 gave Richard Childress his 100th win in the series. The win also allowed Hill to earn a $100,000 Dash 4 Cash bonus for the unlikely winner.
The end of the race couldn’t have been more appropriate, given the rash of cautions that peppered green-flag action in the final stage. The ending also left 29th-place finisher Taylor Gray with thoughts of vengeance and Sammy Smith with a tenth-place finish and an ostensible target on his back.
After the 14th caution for Matt DiBenedetto’s spin in the second turn sent the race into overtime, Gray lined up behind Smith, the leader, and used his bumper to wrest the top spot from Smith—returning the favor from the previous restart on lap 249 of 256.
Gray was seeking his first Xfinity Series win and held the lead until the third turn of the final lap, when Smith charged into the corner, spun Gray’s No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, and knocked it into the outside wall.
Austin Hill Wins at Martinsville at the Expense of Jr Motorsports Justin Allgaier
Hill hit the No. 7 JR Motorsports Chevrolet for Justin Allgaier from behind, sent him crashing into Smith. After sneaking through on the bottom, Hill brought Creed with him, as Allgaier held on for third. Hill led less than a quarter mile before taking the checkered flag for a surprising victory.
“I chose the bottom because of how rough everybody was on restarts,” Hill said of the overtime. “I had to do what I had to do on the last lap. On that restart, it just got wild. We were definitely leaning on each other, and getting into (turn) three, I knew we were all going to get beating and banging, and I just drove it in as deep as I could.
“They all hit each other, and I hit the 7 (Allgaier) a little bit and dumped him off and got on the apron there and came home with the win… Man, I’m in disbelief that we’re in Victory Lane right now. It’s unbelievable. I actually said at the end of the race that I hated this place because of all the beating and banging that was going on—and to top it off, we won a hundred grand!”
Connor Zilisch Dominates the First Two Stages
After 14 cautions for 104 laps, pole winner Connor Zilisch’s sweep of the first two stages seemed a distant memory. Zilisch, however, found an unexpected outcome after a series of spins and contact with the outside wall eliminated him from contention.
Taylor Gray Versus an Aggressive Sammy Smith
Gray took the lead for the second time on lap 183 and held it for 66 circuits and six restarts. But Smith lined up behind the No. 54 Toyota for the restart on lap 249 and moved Gray for the lead.
Smith’s charge into Gray’s Toyota on the final lap was more egregious.
“I feel like we had the best car all day,” said Gray, who suffered a similar fate in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series loss to Christian Eckes last year. “I can’t thank everyone at Joe Gibbs Racing enough. We brought a really fast Operation 300 Toyota GR Supra.
“Just unfortunate—it’s the same story I’ve lived here for the past two Martinsville race in a row. It sucks, but it is what it is. Long year.”
Sammy Smith Feels No Respect
Smith acknowledged that the last lap maneuver was over the top. He and Gray had a testy exchange after the race.
“I’m not proud of that, but if the roles were reversed, he would have done the same thing,” Smith said. “He’s got no respect for me… He was flipping me off on the red flag (for a multicar wreck that caused the 12th caution), swore at me. It was definitely uncalled for.
“I’m not proud of it, but he would have done the exact same thing. That’s what I told him.”
The Marine Corps 250 Results
Brennan Poole finished fourth after the melee, joining Hill, Creed, and Allgaier as eligible contenders for the next Dash 4 Cash bonus, to be contested on April 12 at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Sam Mayer was fifth, followed by Dean Thompson, Daniel Dye, Ryan Sieg, Kris Wright, and Smith.
Zilisch, who finished 28th, led a race-high 100 laps to 87 for Gray. Creed was still seeking his first Xfinity victory but finished second for the 14th time, extending his record number of runner-up results for a non-winner.
Coincidentally, a contact from Creed denied Hill a spot in the Championship 4 in the fall race of 2023—when both drivers raced for RCR.
In a cosmic sense, the ledger was balanced with Hill’s win on Saturday.
The NASCAR Xfinity Series Point Standings
Justin Allgaier leads the series point standings by 41 points over Sam Mayer. Austin Hill, Sheldon Creed, and Jesse Love are the top five point contenders.
Up Next
The NASCAR Xfinity Series’s next race is on Saturday, April 5th, at Darlington Raceway. The Sport Clips Haircuts VFW Help a Hero 200 starts at 3:30 p.m. ET. CW, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio will cover the event. The series points leader, Justin Allgaier, is the defending winner.