Austin Hill would be the first to say he has made mistakes on the racetrack. Those slip-ups have caused a portion of the NASCAR fanbase to resent the Richard Childress Racing driver.
Hill, who was tabbed by RCR to replace two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch after his sudden passing on May 21, has signed a full-time deal to continue racing the No. 33 Chevrolet in 2027.
As the Georgia native continues to grow at the Cup level, he hopes his critics will silence a bit when they see the person he really is.
Hill hopes NASCAR fans see the other side of him
During his time climbing through NASCAR’s ranks, Hill has been in the headlines at times for the wrong reasons.
The most notable example was last year’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race at Indianapolis. After contact with Aric Almirola, Hill retaliated by right-rear hooking the former Cup Series driver head-on into the outside wall.
Hill’s actions led to a one-race suspension.
In the wake of last week’s announcement of his new deal with RCR, Hill appeared as a guest on “The Gluckcast,” hosted by NASCAR insider Jeff Gluck. While Hill knows his relationship with the sport’s fanbase is strained, he hopes to turn that around.
“I just hope that as this keeps going and as I get into the Cup level full-time next year, that people see the other side of me and they don’t just see the things that have happened on the racetrack,” Hill said.
Hill hopes to gain the fans’ respect, but is not hiding from the fact that he has not been perfect.
“I’m not going to sugarcoat things. I have made mistakes in my career,” Hill said.
Although Hill is not hiding from his past mistakes, he hopes fans will eventually see through it and recognize the type of person he is. The 32-year-old is driven to do whatever it takes to win in NASCAR, but also has a soft side.
“I do have a good heart, a good side of me, a family man, have three kids, a loving wife — all those things. I really, truly care about everyone’s well-being and everything like that. Just when I’m on the racetrack, I’m there to win and I’m there to do the best job for my race team and sometimes it comes across the wrong way at times,” Hill said.
Hill compares himself to Joey Logano regarding fan perception
Hill is far from the only driver who has had trouble being accepted by NASCAR’s fan base.
The driver of the No. 33 recalled a recent interview with three-time Cup Series champion Joey Logano, who explained how he is still resented by a portion of NASCAR’s fans for on-track mistakes from years past.
Hill considers himself on the “Joey Logano train” when it comes to fan opinion.
“I believe Joey Logano was talking about it a few months back or so about how something he did when he was 18 is still following him to this day. Like, people hate him for something that he did when he was 18, but then you have like a Hocevar that he’s doing the same sort of things and everybody loves him for it,” Hill said.
For every NASCAR driver, Hill said they are a different person when the helmet goes on and the green flag waves.
“It’s all 40 drivers that are out there. When we put our helmets on, we are different human beings. We have a switch that is flipped and it is like full-blown kill mode. You’re out there to be the best. You’re out there to win the race and you don’t care what it takes to get the job done,” Hill said.
Along with currently driving the No. 33 Cup car, Hill is still competing full-time in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series. Piloting the No. 21 RCR Chevrolet, Hill has two wins in 2026 and will begin the Chase from fifth position.
What NASCAR Fans Get Wrong About Austin Hill