NASCAR team drops back down to two cars for Talladega race

For the first time in the 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season, Richard Childress Racing fielded a third entry. Austin Hill, who competes full-time for the team in the Xfinity Series, drove the No. 33 Chevrolet at Texas Motor Speedway.

Hill made three Cup Series starts last year with Beard Motorsports, but he had not competed for Richard Childress' team at NASCAR's top level since August 2022, when he made his Cup Series debut at Michigan International Speedway.

The only race in which Richard Childress Racing fielded the No. 33 Chevrolet last year was the road course race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when Australian Supercars champion Brodie Kostecki made his Cup Series debut.

Richard Childress Racing not running three cars at Talladega

The plan is for Hill to run four races behind the wheel of the No. 33 Chevrolet, but none of the other three starts have been confirmed. What we do know is that he will not compete in this Sunday afternoon's GEICO 500 at Talladega.

The other non-charter car that was entered at Texas this past weekend, the No. 84 Legacy Motor Club Toyota, will also not be entered in this weekend's 188-lap race around the four-turn, 2.66-mile (4.281-kilometer) high-banked Lincoln, Alabama oval after Jimmie Johnson made his second start of the year.

There are still set to be two non-charter cars at Talladega this weekend. Live Fast Motorsports, which most recently fielded the No. 78 Chevrolet for team co-owner B.J. McLeod at Atlanta Motor Speedway in the season's second race, are set to return, as are Beard Motorsports, which most recently fielded the No. 62 Chevrolet for Anthony Alfredo at Daytona International Speedway in the season-opening Daytona 500.

Both McLeod and Alfredo are set to drive these two cars this weekend as well.

The GEICO 500 is set to be shown live on Fox from Talladega Superspeedway beginning at 3:00 p.m. ET. If you have yet to begin a free trial of FuboTV, do so now and don't miss it!