NASCAR
Jesse Love Dominates, But Austin Hill Takes Overtime Atlanta Win
HAMPTON, Ga. – Richard Childress Racing put on the statement of all statement performances between both of their Xfinity drivers. While rookie Jesse Love led 157 of the opening 167 laps in Atlanta, his fuel tank ran dry in overtime. This parting of the seas allowed Austin Hill to snake his way through to his second-straight win. Hill is undefeated so far in Xfinity this year, now with an Atlanta hat trick to match his Daytona threepeat.
Jesse Love put together a show-stinking run early on. The 19-year-old led all but two laps across both Stages. In just two career Xfinity Series starts, Love has won three of four possible Stages. The Whelen Engineering No. 2 Chevrolet was in the wind from the start of the race and hardly relinquished the top spot.
The Richard Childress Racing rookie flexed his muscles amidst being set back in Stage 3. Powering around AJ Allmendinger on the bottom lane, Love reasserted himself as the man to beat. Not long after this move however, Love was told he was two laps short on fuel.
This news would be the ultimate doom for Love, as a caution flew for a stopped car. On the overtime restart, Love sputtered when getting up to speed. After a near wire-to-wire beatdown, Love only recovered to finish 12th. Despite leading only two laps, Austin Hill wound up in victory lane once again.
“I just got to thank my guys, everyone on this No. 21 Bennett Chevrolet,” Hill said. “We all just worked through it. I was really thinking we were down and out. I’m thinking that the 2’s going to go win, and if I can’t win it then let my teammate get it.”
“We were riding there in fourth or fifth, whichever it was, and I was saving fuel. Andy (Street, crew chief) was on me, and so was Derek (Kneeland, spotter), talking about how much fuel to save. We came into the restart zone and I’m sloshing it around.”
“As I’m going through the gears, shifting from third to fourth, the No. 81 actually hit me really hard. That woke it back up and I just had enough fuel to complete the lap.”
“I do have to congratulate my teammate Jesse Love, he ran an awesome race. To be a rookie and lead that many laps, he should be here in victory lane. But he just ran out of fuel. Leading the line, he can’t save as much as I can. Ultimately that’s what bit him unfortunately.”
Behind Hill, the top-five were: Chandler Smith, Shane van Gisbergen, Sheldon Creed, and Parker Retzlaff. The rest of the top-10 were rounded out by: Jeremy Clements, Anthony Alfredo, Jeffrey Earnhardt, Ryan Truex, and Sammy Smith. Hear from some of these drivers below.
Xfinity cars will be back in action Saturday from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Austin Hill has the chance to earn three consecutive wins, in a race he won last year. The Sin City green flag will fly at 5 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Richard Childress Racing via Twitter
