Beard Motorsports has expanded its part-time schedule in the NASCAR Cup Series. The one-car team will now take on Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Beard Motorsports announced the news on June 15 and confirmed that Xfinity Series regular Austin Hill will be behind the wheel once again as he competes at his home track.
Back for more. 😎 We’re excited to announce the addition of @ATLMotorSpdwy to the Beard Motorsports schedule. Can’t wait to see @AustinHill_ and the No. 62 @BennettFamilyCo Chevy in action. #NASCAR
The Georgia native will attempt to qualify for the Quaker State 400 available at Walmart on Sunday, July 9 (7 p.m. ET, USA Network). He will also attempt to surpass his 24th-place finish in the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway as he makes his third career Cup Series start.
The Beard Motorsports Schedule Has Changed Multiple Times
GettyAustin Hill prepares for the Geico 500 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Prior to the 2023 season, Beard Motorsports had traditionally focused on the superspeedway races. The small team competed at Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway with such drivers as Brendan Gaughan, Noah Gragson, and Justin Allgaier. Though Gaughan also competed in one event at the Daytona Road Course.
The situation changed after Gragson moved up to the Cup Series on a full-time basis. Beard Motorsports announced that Hill would take over the No. 62 Chevrolet Camaro while taking on an expanded schedule.
This list of races has changed multiple times. It began with the Daytona 500 (DNQ) and continued with Talladega Superspeedway on April 23, the Chicago Street Race on July 2, Michigan International Speedway on August 6, Daytona on August 26, and Talladega on October 1.
Early in the 2023 season, Beard Motorsports dropped the Chicago Street Race from the schedule. This meant that there would be several months between Hill’s Cup Series starts at Talladega Superspeedway and Michigan International Speedway. However, the addition of Atlanta Motor Speedway puts him back behind the wheel much sooner than expected.
Hill Has Success at Atlanta Motor Speedway
GettyAustin Hill does a burnout at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The addition of Atlanta Motor Speedway sets up an opportunity for Hill. He has achieved success at this track since it underwent a major reconfiguration and became a mini-superspeedway.
Hill’s first two Xfinity Series starts at the updated track resulted in top-two finishes. He was second in the spring race behind Ty Gibbs and then he won the summer race for Richard Childress Racing ahead of JR Motorsports driver Josh Berry.
Hill has only made one more start at Atlanta Motor Speedway, but it went well for him and Richard Childress Racing. He led 103 of the 163 laps, and he held off Kaulig Racing’s Daniel Hemric and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Ryan Truex to capture his second win at the Georgia track.
This win was actually Hill’s third in the first six weeks of the Xfinity Series season. He kicked off the year by winning at Daytona International Speedway and then he won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway two weeks later. He closed out the West Coast swing with a seventh-place finish at Phoenix Raceway before winning at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hill hasn’t returned to Victory Lane in the weeks since, but he is set up well for the playoffs. He is second in the standings behind John Hunter Nemechek, and he currently has 18 bonus points to his name. This sets him up to move through the opening rounds of the playoffs.
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Beard Motorsports Expands Schedule With Additional Race