Austin Hill set for Cup Series debut at Michigan in No. 33 RCR Chevrolet
The team made the announcement Tuesday, two days after Reddick‘s victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course.
MORE: Michigan entry list | Full weekend schedule
“As a kid growing up in this sport, getting the chance to run a NASCAR Cup Series car is the ultimate dream, especially with a team like Richard Childress Racing that has so much history and success,” Hill said in a team release. “I‘m so thankful that Richard Childress and everyone at RCR have so much faith in me. It will be a learning weekend, for sure, but I‘ve had success at Michigan International Speedway in the past and can‘t wait to take on the track‘s wide, sweeping corners in a NASCAR Cup Series Chevrolet.”
Bennett Transportation & Logistics will back Hill‘s entry for his first start in NASCAR‘s top level.
The 28-year-old Hill is a new face in the RCR stable, joining the team for the 2022 season in its No. 21 NASCAR Xfinity Series program. The ascension came after Hill spent four years in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
The Georgia native won his first race with the Childress stable in February at the Daytona opener. He also won at Atlanta and currently sits sixth in the standings, having notched two wins, eight top-five finishes and 13 top 10s in 20 races this year.
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Hill previously won eight Truck Series races during a full-time stint from 2018-21, including a four-win 2019 for team owner Shigeaki Hattori. One of his 2019 victories came at Michigan.
“I want to learn how aggressive all the drivers are on the race track, the moves they make and how they create passes,” Hill said in a Zoom teleconference Tuesday. “I think there‘s gonna be a different view of what I‘ve seen on the Truck side and Xfinity side.”
The No. 33 was last used in the NASCAR Cup Series last season, with Austin Cindric making six starts before joining the Team Penske camp full time this year.
Clint Bowyer drove the number full time for RCR from 2009-2011, notching three wins during that stretch.
“Austin Hill has shown talent in every Series he‘s raced in during his career, so I couldn‘t be more excited to have him behind the wheel of a Cup Series car,” said Richard Childress, Chairman and CEO of Richard Childress Racing. “He‘s having a strong season in the Xfinity Series, and I know he will be just as competitive and eager to learn behind the wheel of a Cup Series car.”
