Austin Hill Scores Emotional Win For RCR At Naval Base Coronado
Austin Hill Scores Emotional Win For RCR At Naval Base Coronado
Toby Christie|
Austin Hill had come close to winning at road courses in the past, but he was always a spot or two shy of the top prize. It looked like it was going to be that way again in Saturday's NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 at Naval Base Coronado. Then, everything changed.
As Carson Kvapil was spun from the lead by Taylor Gray with two laps remaining, this allowed Hill to get within reach of Gray for the race win. Hill asked for help from one of NASCAR's greatest drivers, and the rest, as they say, is history.
“I’m not going to lie, I started talking to [Kyle Busch] a little bit,” Hill admitted. “Down the straightaways, I’m like, ‘Kyle, if you’re here, give me something, right? Let me find another gear.’ And for whatever reason, the car started to come to life, the two leaders got together, and when there was blood in the water behind [Gray], I knew it was going to be tough to get around him, but it was going to be a battle.”
It was a battle indeed, and one that Hill was determined not to lose. The driver of the No. 21 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet would initiate contact with Gray, would take the lead, and he would never look back, as he scored an emotional win for RCR, a team still mourning the loss of Kyle Busch.
And for Hill, he was able to exorcise his road course demons to score his first career win on a track, where drivers turn left and right.
“It’s extremely special just to finally check that box of getting a road course win,” Hill said. “We’ve been so close so many times. Our 1-800-PACK-RAT Chevrolet was extremely fast, and I was looking for something those last few laps.”
While there were tears of sadness and joy for Richard Childress Racing, Gray, the runner-up finisher was left with nothing but disappointment.
“Just had a really bad wheel-hop there at the end of my run," Gray said of how Hill was able to get around him. "I don’t know, I have to go back and look at it. Maybe shade lower on entry. I don’t know. Just not get the car to wheel-hop, honestly. Yeah, pretty disappointed in myself."
Sheldon Creed would score a solid third-place finish, on a day, when he became the talking post for a fan, who decided during a lengthy red flag period to climb over the catchfence, and onto the race track. After chatting with Creed, and exchanging a fist-bump, the fan climbed back over the wall, and was promptly apprehended by NCIS officers.
"I think he's wasted."
A fan just hopped the fence to chat with @sheldoncreed 🤣 pic.twitter.com/QPZyCbP6TI— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) June 21, 2026
Gray was disappointed in how Saturday's race ended up, but he wasn't the only one.
Kvapil, who thought he was potentially heading to his first career win, saw it all come undone after contact from Gray sent him sideways with two laps to go. Gray said he wheel-hopped and got into Kvapil to send him out of the racing line, but it was a hard pill to swallow for Kvapil.
“It’s really hard to make peace with that. Obviously, I feel like [Crew Chief] Rodney [Childers] and everybody on this Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet brought us a really fast car, and gave us a position to win a race, and obviously, we didn’t. So, that one really hurts,” Kvapil stated.
The 43 minute red flag, which caused the one fan to go stir crazy and climb the fence, was brought on by a scary crash involving Sam Mayer, Anthony Alfredo, and 23 other drivers on Lap 36.
More angles of the crash. https://t.co/KMsZWge1wz pic.twitter.com/WvQKR7124C
— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) June 20, 2026
Fortunately everybody walked away.
The first red flag of the afternoon came on Lap 2, and was due to a loose manhole cover that found its way into the grille opening of Corey Day's No. 17 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.
NASCAR swept the entire course to ensure that all manhole covers were welded shut, and the race continued. Day, who lost four laps due to repairs from the incident, was awarded his laps back by NASCAR, and he came back to finish 10th in the race.
United Rentals Driven to Serve 250 Race Results
1. 21 - Austin Hill
2. 54 - Taylor Gray
3. 00 - Sheldon Creed
4. 1 - Carson Kvapil
5. 8 - Sammy Smith
6. 2 - Jesse Love
7. 99 - Parker Retzlaff
8. 87 - Austin Green
9. 24 - Harrison Burton
10. 17 - Corey Day
11. 39 - Ryan Sieg
12. 20 - Brandon Jones
13. 31 - Blaine Perkins
14. 32 - Andrew Patterson
15. 51 - Jeremy Clements
16. 07 - Josh Bilicki
17. 27 - Jeb Burton
18. 50 - Preston Pardus
19. 55 - Brad Perez
20. 48 - Patrick Staropoli
21. 35 - Dawson Cram
22. 88 - Rajah Caruth
23. 53 - Joey Gase
24. 44 - Brennan Poole
25. 91 - Jesse Iwuji
26. 92 - Leland Honeyman
27. 0 - Alex Labbe
28. 26 - Dean Thompson
29. 45 - Lavar Scott
30. 02 - Ryan Ellis
31. 19 - Brent Crews
32. 7 - Justin Allgaier
33. 42 - Baltazar Leguizamon
34. 41 - Sam Mayer
35. 96 - Anthony Alfredo
36. 18 - William Sawalich
37. 28 - Kyle Sieg
Published Jun 21, 2026
TOBY CHRISTIEToby Christie is the Editor-in-Chief of Racing America. He has 15 years of experience as a motorsports journalist and has been with Racing America since 2023.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
