O’REILLY: Mechanical gremlins make it a short COTA afternoon for Austin J. Hill
by Brock Beard / LASTCAR.info Editor-in-Chief
PHOTO: Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen, @J_G_Motorsports
Austin J. Hill picked up the 1st last-place finish of his NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series career in Saturday’s Focused Health 250 at the Circuit of the Americas when his #35 SRI Chevrolet fell out with suspension issues after 7 of 65 laps.
The finish came in Hill’s second series start. In the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series last-place rankings, it was the 21st for the #35, the 26th from suspension issues, and the 682nd for Chevrolet. Across NASCAR’s top three series, it was the 39th for the #35, the 56th from the suspension, and the 2,028th for Chevrolet.
Of no relation to both Austin (E.) Hill, Richard Childress Racing’s driver of the #21, nor Timmy Hill from the Truck Series’ #56, Austin J. Hill is a 19-year-old second-year engineering student at Ohio University who’s also competed in Trans-Am. Last year, Hill earned his NASCAR license and picked up a few starts with Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen. He made his first attempt at Sonoma, where his white Chevrolet carried a logo for AH Motorsports on the hood, but ended up the lone DNQ of the weekend. He returned in fine form at Watkins Glen, taking home 20th, then failed to qualify again in his most recent attempt on the Charlotte “Roval.”
For his first series run at COTA, Hill carried primary sponsorship from SRI Performance on a patriotic-themed paint scheme which featured associate backing from JRN Logistics, LLC and Alarm Tech Systems, Inc. (ATS). He was one of 40 drivers entered to attempt Saturday’s 38-car field, though his weekend got off to a bad start when he blew an engine, drawing the red flag. He still managed to rank 38th in practice with a best of seven completed laps at 104.118 seconds (82.983mph). The engine change prevented Hill from taking a timed lap in qualifying – the only driver to not take time – but the team’s rank in Owner Points secured him the 38th and final starting spot for Saturday. Sent home were Josh Williams, whose #92 Star Tron / Starbrite Chevrolet ranked 17th of 20 drivers in Qualifying Round 1A, the group where Hill had been entered, and Tyler Gonzalez, whose #5 Victory Custom Trailers Ford for Hettinger Racing was slowest overall in both practice and qualifying. Gonzalez’ DNQ in his first series attempt left just one Ford in the field – the #25 Paynuity Ford of Nick Sanchez, who spun into the gravel in practice. This marked the first time since 1999 that only one Ford started an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race.
Prior to the start, Hill would incur a redundant tail-end penalty for his engine change, and would be joined by -place starter Anthony Alfredo, whose Viking Motorsports team also changed engines on the #96 Protein Rice Treats Chevrolet. Across the stripe, Hill remained in last, 6.667 seconds back of the lead to Alfredo’s 6.577.
But on that very first lap, Sage Karam, Hill’s teammate, reported a serious vibration on his #55 Point Blank Tequila Toyota. “Something’s broke in the front end,” said Karam, who said he didn’t think it was brake shake. Karam’s crew was still concerned that it was, and believed the cap came off the master cylinder. At the end of Lap 1, Karam had taken last and fallen 15.612 seconds back of the lead. By Lap 3, he was 21.433 behind the leader, and about three seconds behind Hill’s #35. By then, Karam’s crew was calling for brake fluid and a replacement cap. “As long as I don’t lose the brakes completely, I’ll be able to do this,” said Karam. But by Lap 4, the driver said, “Brakes are starting to fully go, I’m starting to nurse it.” The team now had brake fluid, but still couldn’t find a cap, and were looking to get one from another team. Without a replacement cap, even filled brake lines would empty in three laps.
On that same fourth lap, Austin J. Hill had climbed to 36th, passing Barrett-Cope Racing’s #30 RUSSpeed Energy Drink Chevrolet of Baltazar Leguizamon, who like Hill was making only his second series start. Both then caught and passed Jeremy Clements, who after power steering issues in Friday’s practice session slid into a gravel trap. Clements got going again, averting a caution, but his #51 Alliance Driveway Solutions Chevrolet plummeted to last place on Lap 5, 36.566 seconds back of the lead. But by Lap 6, Clements caught and re-passed Karam, making up the two-second deficit to take the 37th spot. Still concerned about his brakes, the again last-place Karam didn’t want to pit under green and felt he could hang on to the end of Stage 1 on Lap 21. But on Lap 8, the spotter told Karam to watch for a car trailing smoke ahead of him.
This, unfortunately, was Austin J. Hill, who at first appeared to be losing his second engine of the weekend. “Oiling down the track,” said Karam’s spotter as the #55 made it past, dropping Hill to last place. “Real big smoke now.” But the issue was something in the rear of Hill’s car. “The rear end’s coming loose,” said Hill “I can feel it now.” As cameras caught his car struggling around the track, Hill was told by his team to take his car directly to the garage area and park behind the team’s hauler. By then, he’d lost so much ground that the leaders lapped him in the final few corners. Stopped behind the team hauler, the crew set to work on what appeared to be a track bar issue, checking if something sheared off the rear of the car. They also relayed that the oil tank was intact. On Lap 15, Hill’s crew removed the left-side wheels and said they’d try to complete repairs and send him back out. But on Lap 29, NASCAR declared Hill the first driver out, citing suspension issues.
When Hill pulled behind the wall on Lap 9, he didn’t draw the caution flag. This left the now 37th-place Karam still 11 full seconds back of 36th-place Clements. On Lap 12, Leguizamon spun, then briefly stalled his #30 between Turns 19 and 20, allowing Clements to move past into 35th. Behind them, Karam’s crew continued to discuss how they’d handle their brake issue. The plan was to stop the first chance they got under yellow, fix the brakes, then make a second stop for tires. By Lap 18, drivers were starting to pit, including Preston Pardus who dropped to 36th in his #50 Chinchor Electric Inc. Chevrolet. Karam made it to the Stage 1 caution, caught the tail end of the field, then came down pit road. The crew looked under the hood and discovered the rear brakes needed to be bled, and the left-side sway bar was missing. Karam’s team tried but failed to find a packer to offset the missing bar. No brake fluid was added on that stop, but he returned for further repairs and tires. Karam climbed to 36th on Lap 24, when Anthony Alfredo dropped to 37th and lost a lap following a lengthy pit stop.
When racing resumed, Leguizamon brought out the caution when his own brakes failed in Turn 1, sending his car careening passenger-side first into the tire barriers at high speed. Leguizamon was sore, but did manage to climb from his car, which dropped to 37th in the final running order. Next out was Josh Bilicki, whose #07 Circle B Diecast Chevrolet broke a truck arm a couple laps after Leguizamon’s crash. Karam only made it to 35th before the left-front suspension failed on his Toyota in the closing stages. He nearly made it back to pit road before his car broke down in a run-off lane, drawing the fourth and final caution of the day. Rounding out the Bottom Five was Ryan Ellis, whose #02 Rosch Chevrolet was caught-up in a late-race incident involving Clements.
Crews, Poole, and Labbe turn heads at COTA
Saturday’s race saw 17-year-old Brent Crews become the youngest driver to lead a NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race since Casey Atwood at the Nashville Fairgrounds in 1998. Crews finished 6th in this, his series debut, driving Joe Gibbs Racing’s #19 Younglife Toyota. Taking home 10th was Brennan Poole, who in his #44 Frontline Fire Protection Chevrolet scored his first top-ten finish of the season. After nearly pulling the upset in Daytona with a bid at the lead, Poole has finished no worse than 19th in these first three races of the season, and eyes his first career victory in eight seasons and 193 starts. Also impressive was Alex Labbe, who served as Garrett Smithley’s “road ringer” in the #0 Trophy Tractor Chevrolet. Labbe came home 13th in his first series start since last fall on the Charlotte “Roval.”
LASTCAR STATISTICS
*This marked the first last-place finish for the #35 in an O’Reilly Auto Parts Series race since August 23, 2024, when Akinori Ogata crashed on the opening lap at Daytona. The number had never before finished last in an O’Reilly race on a road course.
THE BOTTOM FIVE
38) #35-Austin J. Hill / 7 laps / suspension
37) #30-Baltazar Leguizamon / 33 laps / crash
36) #07-Josh Bilicki / 35 laps / suspension
35) #55-Sage Karam / 53 laps / suspension
34) #02-Ryan Ellis / 64 laps / running
2026 LASTCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES OWNER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) DGM Racing x JIM, Joey Gase Motorsports with Scott Osteen, RSS Racing (1)
2026 LASTCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES MANUFACTURER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
1st) Chevrolet (3)
2026 LASTCAR O’REILLY AUTO PARTS SERIES DRIVER’S CHAMPIONSHIP
