Austin Hill would have advanced to the round of 8 had he not been suspended for an ill-advised retaliation move on Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Motor Speedway back in late July.
Beginning in 2025, NASCAR gave themselves the right to take away all playoff points from any driver who misses a regular season race, should NASCAR not find their absence acceptable. Those drivers could still be given playoff waivers.
In the case of someone like Denny Hamlin on the Cup side, his absence from the race at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez was viewed as acceptable, since he missed it due to the birth of his third child. He was issued a waiver and allowed to keep all of his playoff points, and he now leads the series in that category.
But Hill missed the early August race at Iowa Speedway because he was suspended for hooking Almirola in the right rear at Indy, and as a result, NASCAR ruled that while Hill could indeed retain his playoff eligiblity, he would not start the playoffs with any playoff points, even if he scored more during the remainder of the regular season.
Austin Hill eliminated himself from the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs
Hill would have started the 12-driver postseason third in points, behind only JR Motorsports teammates Connor Zilisch and Justin Allgaier. He would have had 27 playoff points, since he won three races (15), six stages (six), and finished the regular season fifth in points (six).
Instead, he started 12th of 12, and he never made his way above the round of 8 cut line. With finishes of 19th place at Bristol Motor Speedway, third at Kansas Speedway, and 28th at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval during the round of 12, Hill finished the round 11th in points, 21 points below the cut line.
Had he not basically got in his own way at Indy, he'd have advanced, and JR Motorsports' Sammy Smith, who held onto the eighth and final round of 8 spot by just one point over Joe Gibbs Racing's Taylor Gray, would have been eliminated.
Hill would have ended the round of 12 sitting in a sixth place tie in points, and following the round of 8 reset, he'd have started the semifinal round in third in points, thanks to his 27 playoff points. He'd be 11 points above the Championship 4 cut line.
Instead, he is not one of the eight drivers remaining in Xfinity Series championship contention, and the only one to blame is the driver of the No. 21 Chevrolet himself.
The round of 8 is scheduled to begin on Saturday, October 11 with the Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Live coverage is set to be provided by the CW Network beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET. If you have yet to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and don't miss any of the action!