NASCAR team gives up on Cup Series car for rest of | Sports News

Richard Childress Racing is not going to discipline a third NASCAR Cup Series car within the remaining two races of the 2025 season.

Xfinity Series driver Austin Hill obtained behind the wheel of RCR’s No. 33 at Talladega final weekend,  which was received by Chase Briscoe, however he managed simply twenty second in his fifth Cup Series outing of the season. Hill, who received Saturday’s Xfinity Series race at Talladega however didn’t advance to the Championship 4 since he was eradicated within the earlier spherical, couldn’t beat his personal best in a Cup Series end, which was ninth on the Chicago Street Race earlier this season. Neither Hill nor the No. 33 is on the entry checklist for this weekend’s race at Martinsville Speedway, and it’s not anticipated to return for  the season finale at Phoenix Raceway subsequent weekend.

RCR has received only one race in 2025, with Austin Dillon reserving his playoff place with a win at Richmond. However, Dillon’s playoff bid ended within the first spherical. RCR’s Kyle Busch additionally missed the playoffs for a second consecutive season.

The two-time champion is with out a win since Illinois in 2023. Still, Busch will regroup and go again with RCR in 2026 – with the help of a new crew chief.

The poor end at Talladega for the No. 33 within the Cup adopted Hill’s controversial center finger gesture to followers after profitable the Xfinity race. The incident has proved divisive on social media, with followers both loving or hating his angle.

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However, so far as Dale Earnhardt Jr. — whose Xfinity Series team simply introduced a new signing with Connor Zilisch set to step up to Trackhouse Racing’s Cup roster — is anxious, when making an allowance for the context of the scenario, he felt NASCAR wants “to embrace this to an extent.”

It was the most recent controversy for Hill in Xfinity after he was given a one-race suspension by NASCAR for deliberately crashing Aric Almirola during the 2025 Xfinity race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The incident occurred on lap 91 when Hill contacted Almirola’s car, sending him into the Turn 4 wall and ending Almirola’s race. Hill was penalized 5 laps for tough driving during the race and in the end completed thirty fourth.

Hill was then granted a playoff waiver, protecting his place within the postseason. However, as per a rule change carried out earlier than the 2025 season, Hill forfeited all 21 playoff factors he earned during the common season and was ineligible to earn extra factors earlier than the postseason started.

Despite lacking out on an Xfinity Championship 4 spot, his win Saturday does guarantee his RCR team a car within the 2025 proprietor’s championship. “If you have any questions and it’s green-white-checkered, you probably just go to the bottom [of the track] because of how crazy the second and third lane was there at the end,” Hill mentioned.

“Being able to race for Richard Childress is always special, and to be able to deliver wins like this,” Hill continued. “As the playoff started and us getting knocked out the way we did, it stung a lot, but once we knew we were still in it for the owner’s championship, I decided I’d do it just like I would going for a driver’s championship.

“To be capable of lock ourselves in and go to Phoenix figuring out we’re going for an proprietor’s championship and be capable of try to ship one to Richard Childress Racing means the world to me.”