In over 40 years of his career, Richard Childress has seen and been a part of countless victories. But not all of the victories carry the same weight as the team's O'Reilly win at San Diego on Saturday did. 

The moment came in after the No. 21 driver, Austin Hill, won not just his first road course but also the first win for the Richard Childress Racing team after the passing of the team's Cup Series driver, Kyle Busch. Hill is also the replacement driver for the late two-time NASCAR champion in RCR’s Cup Series program and drives the renumbered No. 33 car.

Following the emotional win, Childress spoke about what it meant for the organization. He got emotional and his voice broke as he remembered Kyle Busch.

"It’s great," said Childress, adding, "It’s great to win here. We’ve all got Kyle in our hearts. You may not show it on the outside, but you do here (in the heart)."

As for Hill’s race, he put in an amazing performance at the Coronado Naval Base. In qualifying, he secured fourth place and converted it into a Stage 1 victory in the race.

He finished eighth in Stage 2 before rising back to the top with a final lap pass on Stage 2 winner Taylor Gray, who two laps earlier had bumped Carson Kvapil out of the lead and into a barrier.

Austin Hill dedicates San Diego win to Kyle Busch

Austin Hill honored Kyle Busch in the post-win burnout, where he painted the number 8 with his car on the track. Moreover, during his post-race interview, he revealed how he invoked divine intervention from the late RCR driver Kyle Busch.

"I was just looking for something in those last few laps, and I’m not gonna lie, I started talking to this guy a little bit, and down the straightaways I'm like ‘Man, Kyle, if you're here, give me something right? Let me find another gear' and for whatever reason, the car started to come to life," Hill said.

Austin Hill took his 16th career win in the NASCAR O’Reilly Series. He won the race by 1.127 seconds over Taylor Grey in second and earned 68 points for his triumph.

Sheldon Creed, Carson Kvapil, and Sammy Smith rounded off the top five at the  United Rentals Driven to Serve 250.

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Written by

Chionia Libania Colaco

Edited by

Yash Kotak