In a late July move that Austin Hill still swears was unintentional, the Richard Childress Racing driver hooked Joe Gibbs Racing's Aric Almirola in the right rear at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, resulting in a one-race suspension for the following weekend's race at Iowa Speedway.
That absence in early August ultimately cost Hill a spot in the Championship 4. Because of his suspension, he was stripped of the 27 playoff points he earned in the regular season, including the 15 he earned from his three race wins, the six he earned from his six stage wins, and the six he earned from his fifth place finish in the regular season point standings.
That 27-point deduction proved costly, as he failed to advance from the round of 12 to the round of 8 by 21 points. He then won the round of 8 race at Talladega Superspeedway, which would have locked him into the Championship 4 had he still been championship eligible.
Whose NASCAR Xfinity Series season did Austin Hill save?
Neither one of the other two round of 8 races was won by a championship eligible driver either. Almirola won the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and teammate Taylor Gray won the round of 8 finale at Martinsville Speedway.
JR Motorsports teammates Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier, as well as Richard Childress Racing's Jesse Love, would have advanced to the Championship 4 on points even if Hill had clinched a spot in the Championship 4. But JR Motorsports' Carson Kvapil would not have.
Kvapil finished the round of 8 sitting 14 points behind Love, but for the third spot, so he still ended up fourth. But had Hill won, Kvapil would have finished 14 points out of the fourth spot, and the driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet would have no longer had a chance to win this year's championship like he now does.
Kvapil is listed as the third favorite to win this year's championship at FanDuel Sportsbook. He is listed at +600, behind Zilisch at +105 and Allgaier at +160. Love is listed at +650. Odds and availability are always subject to change.
The CW Network is set to provide live coverage of the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship Race from Phoenix Raceway starting at 7:30 p.m. ET this Saturday, November 1. Take advantage of FuboTV's free trial offer and don't miss any of the action from Arizona this weekend!