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AVONDALE, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 01: Jesse Love, driver of the #2 Whelen Chevrolet, (L) and Austin Hill, driver of the #21 Bennett Transportation Chevrolet, talk on the grid during qualifying for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Championship at Phoenix Raceway on November 01, 2025 in Avondale, Arizona. (Photo by Meg Oliphant\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Trouble came early for Richard Childress Racing during the NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series<\/a> Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway<\/a>. Two of its drivers, Austin Hill and Jesse Love, made contact while racing for position late in Stage 1. What looked like a routine fight for points quickly turned into a crash that ended Hill\u2019s race.<\/p>\n The moment shifted attention across the garage, as teammate incidents often do. Hill was taken to the infield care center for evaluation and later released. Love stayed on track and recovered, but the damage was already done. With both drivers fighting for strong positions in the standings, the incident drew attention to how teammates manage close racing.<\/p>\n Austin Hill Was Taken Out After Early Contact With Jesse Love in the NASCAR Race<\/p>\n The incident<\/a> happened on lap 38 as Jesse Love in the No. 2 Chevrolet and Austin Hill in the No. 21 Chevrolet battled for sixth place. Both drivers pushed hard in the closing laps of Stage 1, trying to gain stage points.<\/p>\n As they exited Turn 4, Love drifted closer to Hill\u2019s right-rear quarter panel. The move affected the airflow around Hill\u2019s car and upset its balance. Hill lost control and spun across the track. William Sawalich in the No. 18 Toyota then made heavy contact with Hill.<\/p>\n The damage ended Hill\u2019s race after just 37 laps. He went to the infield care center for checks and was released soon after. Speaking outside, Hill made his frustration clear<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cJesse\u2019s better than that, and we\u2019re teammates. I would expect a little more room than what I was given.\u201d<\/p>\n The early exit cost Hill valuable points and dropped him four spots in the standings to eighth.<\/p>\n Jesse Love responds after Kansas Speedway crash<\/p>\n Jesse Love addressed the incident after the race and accepted responsibility for the contact. He said both drivers were racing hard, but admitted the situation needed a different approach.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were both racing each other hard, whether or not we need to be doing that from how far back I came from, like maybe that\u2019s a conversation that me and I can have.\u201d<\/p>\n He also focused on the impact the crash had on his teammate\u2019s crew.<\/p>\n \u201cNo matter what I feel about it, I just hate it for the 21 guys.\u201d<\/p>\n Love said he planned to speak with Hill before leaving the track. He also intended to talk with team owner Richard Childress, crew chiefs<\/a> Josh Wise and Scott Speed, and veteran driver Justin Allgaier.<\/p>\n Despite the early contact, Love recovered through the field and finished fourth. The result extended his streak without a DNF this season.<\/p>\n RCR looks ahead to Talladega after setback<\/p>\n The incident at Kansas Speedway echoed a similar moment for Richard Childress Racing at Martinsville last season. That earlier crash between teammates affected team chemistry and led to changes later on.<\/p>\n Now, the focus turns to the next race at Talladega Superspeedway. The track features a different style of racing, where teamwork often plays a larger role.<\/p>\n Hill downplayed any concern about carrying the issue forward.<\/p>\n \u201cTalladega\u2019s a total different breed than Kansas is, so, nah, we\u2019ll be fine there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n RCR has a strong record at superspeedways, and both drivers are expected to compete for the win. Clearing the air before the next race will be important for the team.<\/p>\n In the Kansas race, Taylor Gray held off Sheldon Creed to take the win, continuing Creed\u2019s strong run this season. Still, the early contact between Hill and Love remained the main focus after the race.<\/p>\n As the NASCAR O\u2019Reilly Auto Parts Series moves to Alabama, attention stays on how RCR handles the situation between its drivers. The outcome at Kansas showed how quickly a battle for points can change a race and impact a team.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tDogli Wilberforce<\/a> is a writer covering NASCAR, Formula 1, and the IndyCar Series for Heavy Sports. He has also written for Sportsnaut, FanSided, Total Apex Sports, and Last Word on Sports. Wilberforce focuses on the NASCAR Cup Series, breaking down news, driver stories, and key moments with a clear, fast, and engaging style. His work connects headlines to context, helping readers understand what matters most in the sport. More about Dogli Wilberforce<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on NASCAR\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty AVONDALE, ARIZONA – NOVEMBER 01: Jesse Love, driver of the #2 Whelen Chevrolet, (L) and Austin Hill,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":614248,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[446],"tags":[49,48,634,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-614247","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nascar","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nascar","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614247","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=614247"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/614247\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/614248"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=614247"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=614247"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=614247"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}