Hill Wins NASCAR K&N East Opener At New Smyrna

Austin Hill celebrates in victory lane after winning Sunday night’s NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season opener at New Smyrna Speedway. Photo by Getty Images for NASCAR

The offseason did nothing to slow down Austin Hill.

The 20-year-old from Winston, GA picked up right where he left off last year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, leading every lap Saturday in winning the Hart To Heart 150 Breast Cancer Foundation 150 at New Smyrna Speedway in New Smyrna Beach, FL.

“To be able to sit on the pole and spend all 150 laps in the lead is really special for me,” said Hill, who earned the victory in the new K&N Pro Series chassis – which was unveiled in the offseason. “I can’t thank these guys enough, we’re a family owned racing team, we’re just trying to make it here. To be able to win with Ron Otto as my crew chief for the first time was amazing. We worked really well together.”

Hill finished 2014 with back-to-back wins at South Carolina’s Greenville Pickens Speedway and Dover International Speedway. And he kicked off his pursuit of a NASCAR championship with a dominating performance on the .48-mile high-banked oval just south of the “World Center of Racing,” Daytona International Speedway.

The NASCAR Next driver won his first career 21 Means 21 Pole Award and then survived a challenge on a green-white-checkered from rookie Dalton Sargeant to earn the win. The race ended under a yellow-checkered following an accident on the white-flag lap.

“I was getting worried on the restarts, five laps was about when my car would really start to get up and really go,” Hill said. “So about five laps I would have to hold them off and then it would finally get going.”

Sargeant, making his first series start, settled for second while Gaulding closed late to take third.

“It was just a car length off of first, so it’s a bit disappointing,” said Sargeant, who started ninth after an engine change in the morning. “But overall for my first race in the K&N Pro Series East, we had a really good run.

“It was intense for sure. This track is really tough if you’re starting on the bottom. You get pinched down and you spin the tires a little bit, it’s really hard to get the momentum rolling and get up on the outside to pass the guy. You definitely either have to make a dive-bomb attempt or have to be rolling around the outside pretty fast. But overall it was a good night.”

“I knew I was where I needed to be being on the high side,” said Gaulding. “I wasn’t going to give up. It was just so tight out there and I just had to do everything I could to get my car to turn. Being able to finish third is a really good way for us to finish the night. I hate to lose more than anybody, but some nights you have to take finishes like this.”

Scott Heckert and Kyle Benjamin were fourth and fifth, respectively. Sargeant and Benjamin, as well as sixth-place Dillon Bassett and seventh-place William Byron are Sunoco Rookie of the Year contenders.

Nick Drake, Sergio Pena and Kenzie Ruston rounded out the top 10.

It was the fourth career win for Hill, who also won at Dover in 2013.

“I got to thank Robert Yates Engines, they give me awesome engines every week,” Hill said. “Every time we hit the track I know we have plenty of power. I can’t thank my dad enough, without him I wouldn’t be where I am today. Hopefully we can get this championship, we are on a good streak right now so hopefully we can keep it going.”

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return to the track at Greenville on April 4.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East
New Smyrna Speedway – New Smyrna Beach, FL
Hart To Heart 150 – Feb. 15, 2015

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Fastest Qualifier: Austin Hill, Time: 18.483 Seconds, Speed: 93.491 mph
Time of Race: 1 hrs., 6 mins, 10 secs Average Speed: 65.725 mph Margin of Victory: Under Caution
Caution Flags: Laps 71-77 (FP #49); 79-85 (FP #1); 105-108 (FP #31); 116-119 (No FP); 127-134 (FP #7); 146-148 (No FP); 151.  7 for 34 laps.
Lap Leaders: Austin Hill 1-151.
Total Laps Led: Austin Hill 151. 0 changes involving 1 drivers.
Top 10 Driver Points: Austin Hill 48, Dalton Sargeant * 42, Gray Gaulding 41, Scott Heckert 40, Kyle Benjamin * 39, Dillon Bassett * 38, William Byron * 37, Nick Drake 36, Sergio Pena 35, Kenzie Ruston 34
Next Race:Greenville Pickens Speedway
* Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender