JGR Xfinity driver Taylor Gray candidly picks Richard Childress’ star driver to back him up in a bar fight
Taylor Gray picked Richard Childress Racing's Xfinity Series star, Austin Hill, when asked about getting into a bar fight or a brawl. He reminisced about the punch he delivered to a fellow driver a few years ago, claiming that he hadn't seen someone else getting punched so hard in his life.
Austin Hill is one of the more competitive drivers in the current Xfinity Series field. He has been racing full-time in the series since the 2022 season with Richard Childress Racing and has collected 12 wins in this period so far. Other than competitive racing, however, Hill is also known for his aggressive breakouts with other drivers during races.
This was one of the reasons fellow driver Taylor Gray picked the Hill when asked about getting into a bar fight.
When questioned if he had the choice to pick one Xfinity Series driver in a bar fight to back him up, Gray was clear with his choice, going ahead with Austin Hill.
"Yeah, Austin Hill. I saw him punch Myatt Snider, and I don't think I've ever seen someone get punched so hard in my life," he said.
The incident that Taylor Gray mentioned in his answer took place in 2022 during the Martinsville race. Hill got into a heated situation with fellow driver Myatt Snider, and as the two argued in the pit lane, the situation escalated with Hill knocking Snider out with a punch. He gained widespread criticism for the incident.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. explains calling out Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill on social media
Earlier this month, NASCAR held a mandatory driver meeting following the chaotic race at Martinsville in the Xfinity Series. It was understood that Richard Childress Racing's Austin Hill was one of the drivers who spoke up during the meeting, discussing the possibility of mentoring a young driver. Dale Earnhardt Jr. found this quite ironic, considering his aggressive racing style and shared a post on social media, writing:
"To hear he spoke up in the Xfinity all drivers meeting to suggest he could be one to mentor the kids was the best laugh I had all week."
Dale Jr. recently came out to explain the sarcastic tone he had against the statements made by the Richard Childress Racing driver in an episode of the Dale Jr Download podcast.
"I heard that Austin Hill had spoken up to offer his time to educate the younger drivers. And had a little fun with that on social media," Earnhardt said [55:37 onwards]. "The truth of that is Eric Peterson actually reached out to Austin and asked him to be vocal in the meeting. That’s what Austin shared with me. Interesting choice, Eric. I’m just kidding."
Austin Hill has been racing for Richard Childress Racing in the Xfinity Series since the 2022 season, and although his racing style has been called out for being over aggressive, he has managed to win 12 races with the team in the series.