Hill wins Xfinity race on ‘home’ turf
Georgia native Austin Hill claimed his second NASCAR Xfinity win of the season, leading an eight-car train across the line at Atlanta Motor Speedway to set off a raucous celebration in front of the home folks Saturday.
The 28-year-old Xfinity rookie is from Winston, a small town about an hour’s drive from the high-banked track that he considers home.
After a pair of runnerup Truck Series finishes at Atlanta in 2020 and ‘21, and another second-place showing behind Ty Gibbs in the track’s spring Xfinity race, Hill finally crossed the line first at the 1.54-mile trioval.
Morning storms wiped out qualifying and practice, but Hill saw plenty of blue skies when he climbed out his No. 21 Chevy in front of the main grandstand.
“I just won in Atlanta,” said Hill, who also won the season-opening Xfinity race at Daytona. “That’s so special. I’ve been trying to win here for a long time. I’ve finished second here three times in a row.”
Trucks: Part-time driver Parker Kligerman held off points leader Zane Smith to win the NASCAR Truck Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Kligerman led 56 of the 67 laps on the 2.258-mile circuit, winning by 0.119 seconds in the No. 75 Henderson Motorsports Chevrolet. It was his third career win in the series and first in five years.
Formula One: Max Verstappen was untroubled as he won the sprint race from pole at the Austrian Grand Prix, his effort was made easier by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. scrapping each other behind him for one meager point. They almost collided, with tensions appearing to carry over from last Sunday’s British GP where Leclerc was unhappy with team decisions and Sainz won.