NASCAR Next driver Austin Hill is prepared to take the next step in his racing career, as he will compete in more than half the races in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) this season.
The 21-year-old driver, who finished third in championship points in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East last season, will kick-off his part-time NCWTS schedule at Daytona International Speedway racing the ARCO Design/Build Ford F-150 for Empire Racing Group. He will then move over to his own race team – Austin Hill Racing – for the remainder of his season.
“I’m very excited about this season and transitioning Austin Hill Racing into a Camping World Truck Series team,” said Hill. “We are going to be doing it like we did the K&N Series with the guys that we used last year. We’re just trying to step up the ranks. I feel like this move will be a good stepping stone for us as a team, and I want to go out there and prove that we belong in this series.”
Hill, a Winston, Ga. native, is set to enter the field at tracks including Atlanta, Dover, Kentucky, Bristol, Texas, and has big plans for this season.
“My goal has always been to run up front and hopefully get a couple wins,” said Hill. “To get one win this season in the Truck Series would be awesome with it being a top-three series in NASCAR. I’m looking to at least get one win and a good Top-10 finish week-in and week-out as long as we don’t have any big problems. We have a good truck. Now, we just have to have the right setup under us to make it happen.”
Veteran crew chief Doug Chouinard, who previously partnered with Hill in the K&N Pro Series, will guide the rookie competitor in this next level of his career.
“Doug has been in the sport for a long time,” said Hill. “He ran with Todd Bodine when he ran the No. 30 Toyota Tundra. He’s got a lot of knowledge and I’ve already learned a lot from him.”
Hill jumped into the NASCAR spotlight over the past two seasons when he earned four wins, one pole, 12 Top-5’s and 21 Top-10’s in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. He previously found success racing Quarter Midgets, Bandoleros, Legend cars and Late Models.
Hill has competed in six NCWTS races over the past two years. In just his first NCWTS start, Hill led 21 of the 200 laps at Martinsville in 2014. The NASCAR Next driver previous competed at five series tracks including: Daytona, Dover, Talladega, Martinsville and Homestead-Miami, where his average finish was 22nd.
Austin Hill PR
