Austin Hills move to crash Aric Almirola at Indianapolis could cost him the Xfinity Series title.
NASCAR announced Tuesday that Hill had been suspended for one race after he hooked Almirolas car into the wall at Indy. Almirola got Hill loose in a corner and after Hill saves the car, you can see him turn his car left into the right rear of Almirolas car.
Hill was penalized five laps during the race to ensure that he had no chance of winning after his move. In the immediate aftermath, Hill contended on his radio that he hadnt crashed Almirola on purpose, though his white gloves appear to tell a different story.
The suspension means Hill won’t race on Saturday at Iowa Speedway.
Hills suspension comes with the loss of all the playoff points he had accumulated. Hill ended the Indianapolis race weekend third among all playoff-bound Xfinity Series drivers with 21 playoff points. That number was 13 more than Brandon Jones eight playoff points.
Instead, Hill wont have any playoff points when the postseason begins in five races assuming NASCAR grants him a playoff waiver so he can still race for the title. Per NASCARs rules implemented ahead of the 2025 season, a driver who misses a race for an unexcused reason loses all his playoff points. Hill is the first driver penalized under NASCAR’s new rule.
If Hill gets the playoff waiver hes won three races this season hell start the postseason last in the 12-driver field. He would still have a plausible path to the winner-take-all championship race at Phoenix, but the buffer of the 21 points he had accumulated through the first 21 races of the season has disappeared.
Hill was one of the favorites to win the Xfinity Series title before his actions on Saturday. He’s one of just three Xfinity Series regulars to have more than one win in 2025 and is fifth in the points standings.
Hill is the first driver suspended for intentionally wrecking an opponent since Truck Series driver Conner Jones got a one-race ban for his actions at Homestead in October of 2024. NASCAR’s most recent high-profile suspension for an intentional crash came in 2023 when Chase Elliott was banned for a race for crashing Denny Hamlin.