Another Step Closer … Austin Hill enters Martinsville Speedway third in the NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series playoff standings with two races remaining in the Round of 6. The driver of the No. 16 Ibaraki Toyopet Toyota Tundra returns to the shortest paved track on the tour looking for redemption after the first trip to the 0.526-mile short track earlier this season. The 25-year old Georgia native is on the hunt for an especially significant victory this weekend, which would include a famous grandfather clock and an automatic berth into the championship finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Heating Up … As the fall temperatures cool down, Hill has been heating up in the playoffs. Since the seven-race playoff began at Bristol Motor Speedway in August, Hill has collected one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes. His sixth-place result last week at Talladega Superspeedway has him positioned 12 points above the cut line with two races remaining in the Round of Six entering Saturday’s contest at the “Paperclip”. Hill is also in the midst of a streak of five consecutive top-10 finishes, a season high for he and the No. 16 team.
Paperclip Stat Line … There is no other track on the Gander Trucks schedule where Hill has more experience than Martinsville Speedway. Eight of his 71 career starts have come at the “Paperclip”, dating back to his first appearance at the Virginia half mile in October 2014. Hill’s best finish at Martinsville was a ninth-place effort in March of 2018 and has two top-10 finishes in his eight starts. He and the Ibaraki Toyopet team are looking to make great strides from their 16th-place finish at Martinsville earlier this season.
Season to Date … Through 20 of 23 Gander Trucks races, Hill currently occupies one of the four provisional spots to the championship finale. With three wins, six top-five and 12 top-10 finishes on the year, Hill has positioned himself third in the championship standings, just two races away from securing a berth in the title bout.
Chassis Selection … For the first time in the playoffs, crew chief Scott Zipadelli and company have prepared chassis No. 009. Hill most recently raced this Toyota Tundra at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway in June where he finished 11th, and also ran this chassis at Martinsville earlier this season.
Tune In … Coverage from Martinsville Speedway kicks off on Saturday morning at 10:00 a.m. ET with pole qualifying on FOX Sports 1. Race coverage begins on FS1 with NASCAR Raceday at 1:00 p.m. followed by the green flag at 1:30 p.m. ET. Stay updated with Hill and the No. 16 team by following @Hattori_Racing on Twitter, @hattoriracing on Instagram, and Hattori Racing Enterprises on Facebook.
Austin Hill Quote:On returning to a short track in the playoffs:“We struggled a little bit at Martinsville during the race earlier this year, but I’m looking forward to going back. It’s another chance to prove ourselves and improve on what we had in the spring. It’s always exciting to go short track racing since we don’t get a lot of chances to do it. The intensity level is going to be pretty high with a chance to go to Homestead on the line. Stage points are going to be real important these next two weeks, especially since there’s going to be two positions open in the final four based on points. But, the best thing for us to do is put our Ibaraki Toyopet Tundra in victory lane on Saturday so we don’t have to worry about points and just take care of business.”
HRE PR
