Austin Hill will still be able to race for the NASCAR Xfinity Series title.
NASCAR announced Tuesday night that Hill had received a waiver to make the playoffs following his one-race suspension for crashing Aric Almirola at Indianapolis. Hill hooked Almirola’s car head-first into the wall after contact from Almirola made Hill’s car loose entering Turn 3.
Hill was penalized five laps for the crash and a suspension was all but inevitable after the race despite protestations from both him and team owner Richard Childress.
Thanks to a rule NASCAR implemented before the 2025 season, Hill lost all of his playoff points because of the suspension. He was set to start the postseason with 21 points or more above the 2,000-point baseline thanks to his three wins and multiple stage wins during the regular season. But since he was suspended, Hill lost those 21 points and any other points he could accrue before the postseason began.
Like his suspension, Hill’s waiver from NASCAR was inevitable. And the waiver is another sign that NASCAR needs to simplify its playoff process. A driver who is suspended by NASCAR for disciplinary reasons should not simultaneously get forgiveness from NASCAR to keep a playoff spot.
NASCAR could solve the waiver issue in multiple ways. It could remove a rule saying that a driver must attempt every race to get into the playoffs. With a win-and-in postseason format, NASCAR could simply quantify a minimum position in the points standings for playoff eligibility no matter how many starts a driver has.
Hill could have also simply been penalized his playoff points. Making him sit out last weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway isn’t much of a factor. Had NASCAR revoked his playoff points, he’d still be in the same place in the points standings. Hill was fifth after Indianapolis and remained fifth and 28 points ahead of Carson Kvapil after he was suspended for the Iowa race.
The playoff points were a far bigger part of the punishment than the suspension for Iowa. Simplifying the punishment process for 2026 and beyond to remove the need for a waiver in a situation like this would be a smart move for NASCAR.
