RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Austin Hill has been knocking on the door of the NASCAR Cup Series for years. In 2027, Richard Childress Racing is finally handing him the keys.
RCR announced Monday that Hill will drive the No. 33 Chevrolet full time next season, giving the longtime organization driver his first full-time opportunity at NASCAR’s highest level.
It’s a promotion that has felt increasingly inevitable. Hill has become one of the most successful drivers in NASCAR’s O’Reilly Auto Parts Series while steadily adding Cup starts to his workload. Rather than rush him into the sport’s top division, RCR has allowed the 32-year-old to build experience along the way.
Now the waiting is over.
“I’m extremely thankful to Richard and everyone at RCR for believing in me and giving me this opportunity,” Hill said. “Every race car driver dreams of competing full time in the NASCAR Cup Series, and to have that opportunity with RCR is something I don’t take for granted.”
Hill added that he has learned considerably from his Cup opportunities and is ready to put that experience to work.
“I’ve learned so much this year about what it takes to compete at this level, and I’m excited to take everything I’ve learned during my time at RCR and apply it to this next chapter. I want to do everything I can to help this organization continue moving forward. I’m excited for what’s ahead and ready to get to work.”
Austin Hill Finally Gets His Full-Time NASCAR Cup Opportunity
Hill didn’t arrive at this opportunity because of one breakout season. RCR has spent years developing him.
Hill joined the organization full time in 2022 and quickly became a fixture near the front of the O’Reilly Series field. He has since collected 16 victories in the No. 21 Chevrolet, highlighted by a six-win season in 2024 that ended with a fourth-place championship finish.
He also won the 2023 regular-season championship. And then there are the drafting tracks.
Few drivers in NASCAR have built a better résumé at them. Hill’s 11 victories on drafting-style tracks surpassed the previous record of eight shared by NASCAR Hall of Famers Dale Earnhardt and Tony Stewart.
Cup racing, of course, presents an entirely different test.
RCR has been preparing Hill for that one in smaller doses, giving him opportunities in the No. 33 while he continued competing for wins and championships in the O’Reilly Series.
The 2026 season has only increased that workload as Hill has balanced responsibilities across both series.
That experience won’t make the transition to full-time Cup competition easy. Nothing does. But Hill won’t arrive in 2027 as a driver getting his first glimpse of the garage, the Next Gen car or the competition he’ll face every weekend.
He has been building toward this.
Richard Childress Racing Commits the No. 33 to a Full-Time Season
Hill’s promotion is also a significant move for RCR.
The No. 33 has been an additional Cup entry rather than one of the organization’s full-time cars. That changes in 2027, when Hill takes it through an entire Cup Series schedule.
For Richard Childress, the decision is the next step in a development process that has played out inside his own organization.
“Austin Hill is a talented race car driver and his continued growth, work ethic and success across multiple levels of NASCAR competition have positioned him for his next step with RCR,” Childress said.
“He’s put a tremendous amount of effort into his career, especially this year with everything he’s taken on. We’ve watched Austin grow as a driver and as a person, and we’re proud to have him continue that growth with RCR in the NASCAR Cup Series.”
RCR has taken this route before.
Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Austin Dillon and Tyler Reddick are among the drivers who raced in NASCAR’s lower national series with RCR before eventually competing for the organization at the Cup level.
Hill will be the next. What happens from there is the bigger question.
Winning regularly in the O’Reilly Series doesn’t guarantee immediate success in Cup. Hill will face deeper fields, longer races and a week-to-week grind that occasional Cup appearances simply can’t replicate.
But that’s a question for 2027. For now, one of NASCAR’s longest-running promotion stories finally has its answer.
After years of winning races for Richard Childress Racing and waiting for a permanent opportunity at the sport’s highest level, Austin Hill is officially going Cup racing full time.
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