MARTINSVILLE, Va.: The penultimate race of the 2020 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series season started off with lots of smiles and happiness for Austin Hill and his Hattori Racing Enterprises team, but by the end of Friday night’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 200, the smiles were turned to frowns and the happiness was replaced with frustration.
Shortly before climbing behind the wheel of his No. 16 AISIN Group Toyota Tundra, HRE announced that Hill would return to the Mooresville, N.C. organization for a third straight Truck Series season, while also continue a limited schedule in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
In retrospect, little did the team led by crew chief Scott Zipadelli know before the green flag they would need that third season to finish what they started in 2020.
Hill with a model of consistency and top-10 finishes ran away with the regular series championship giving the Shigeaki Hattori-led team a good footing for the Playoff run.
While some bumps in the run to start their chances of a championship in the opening round at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, a win at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway would propel them to the semi-final round which concluded with Friday night’s 200-lap slugfest.
At the start, Hill looked strong. But as quick as he looked like he would ease his way into the Championship 4 picture next Friday at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway, his night went the other way quicker.
Towards the end of Stage 1, Hill started developing handling issues with his No. 16 Hattori Racing Enterprises Toyota Tundra. Slipping back from the top-five, he would soon slide outside the top-10 and even go a lap down before the end of Stage 1.
The truck’s handling, however, would the be the least of the team’s concern.
At first thought, Hill believed he had a tire going down – but later the lack of grip and power for Hill would be diagnosed as an engine issue.
Diagnosis from the team would reveal that a cylinder had gone bad. Knowing they were out of contention for the win and an automatic berth to the season finale Lucas Oil 150, Hill and his team would hold on for a glimmer of hope that one of their Playoff contenders would run into setbacks and Hill would had planned to nurse his truck to the checkered flag would emerge with a gift into his first Championship 4 battle.
Neither situation came to fruition.
Two laps down to the competition and running around 30th, the engine eventually seized and sent Hill to the garage and despite some fenders banging, Hill was the only Playoff driver to have serious issues at the historic short track leaving the team fighting outside the Championship 4 picture for the second season in a row.
“We aren’t 100% sure what happened, but it was definitely blowing up on us,” said Hill from the garage. “The first stage, I thought we had a tire going down maybe. We lost some track position and then got back to the lucky dog and then as soon as I got to the lucky dog, we started blowing up.”
Not their first hiccup with an Ilmor engine, Hill was frustrated with the engine manufacturer and their spec engine product.
“It started cutting in and out, so I guess it’s those really great built Ilmor engines,” Hill added. “They like to breathe fire. It’s just frustrating to potentially end your season on an engine failure like that. Everybody at HRE (Hattori Racing Enterprises), all of our partners, everyone that makes this deal happen deserves a lot better. We should definitely be in this final four. It’s frustrating. I can’t even put it in to words what I’m feeling right now.”
Out of the championship picture and a second chance, Hill heads to Phoenix hoping to repeat what he did last season – win the final race of the season.
Although the NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series won’t be competing at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway for this year’s season finale, the HRE team is a former winner at Phoenix and that could spell bad news for the rest of the Truck Series competition – especially when a win would guarantee Sheldon Creed, Grant Enfinger, Brett Moffit or Zane Smith the drivers championship.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
