March 9, 2026
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — When the field stacked up for a late restart Saturday night, it felt like anyone’s race. By the time the checkered flag waved, though, it was a familiar sight at Daytona.
Austin Hill returned to Victory Lane after capturing the United Rentals 300, continuing a run of superspeedway success that has become almost expected. Driving the No. 21 Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing, Hill once again showed why he’s one of the most reliable closers in the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series garage.
“I don’t know what it is about Daytona.” Hill said in his post-race press conference. “First race of the year. But, you know, we just always bring a really fast Bennett Chevrolet. Everybody at RCR, ECR, CT Springs just does a fabulous job on preparing these Chevys to be as fast as they are.”
The intensity ramped up in the closing laps as Brennan Poole mounted a charge on the backstretch and Jordan Anderson lined up for a final attempt coming to the white flag. Anderson appeared ready to make a move entering Turn 3, but the run never fully developed. Hill stayed committed to the bottom lane and carried momentum off the corner to secure the win.
O’Reilly series veteran Justin Allgaier crossed the line just 0.081 seconds behind Hill in a dramatic finish. Ryan Sieg rallied from late-race contact to finish third, while Anderson settled for fourth after being forced to push rather than pull out of line. Sammy Smith recovered from an early-race incident to complete the top five.
Hill controlled much of the evening, sweeping Stages 1 and 2 and leaving Daytona with 75 championship points. The strong showing gives him an early advantage in the standings as the series heads to EchoPark Speedway; another track that has suited him well in the past.
“Man, I’m just so excited to be able to win here again. It doesn’t come easy. I know it probably looks easy on TV and stuff at times, but it’s anything but easy to be able to do what we’ve been able to do,” said Hill.
Saturday night’s race featured 15 lead changes among eight drivers and was slowed seven times for 36 laps; a reminder of how quickly momentum can shift in pack racing at Daytona.
The series now heads to the north for the Bennett Transportation & Logistics 250 at EchoPark Speedway on Feb. 21.
