Austin Hill notches first NASCAR victory for RCR since death of Kyle Busch

Things have been difficult for Richard Childress Racing in the month since Kyle Busch’s shocking death.

A winner of 234 races across NASCAR’s top three national touring series — the most ever — Busch had driven in the top-level Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing over the past four seasons until he tragically died on May 21 at the age of 41 due to complications of severe pneumonia that progressed into sepsis.

But on Saturday night in San Diego, RCR finally had a reason to celebrate again.

Austin Hill, the driver tasked with replacing Busch at the Cup level, won the United Rentals 250 in the second-tier O’Reilly Auto Parts Series at Naval Base Coronado. A veteran of the O’Reilly Series, the victory marked Hill’s first-ever at a road course and RCR’s first win at that style of track since 2016.

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See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.

Kyle Busch’s career left a lasting mark on NASCAR, with achievements and moments that defined his time in the sport.

Above, Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with daughter, Lennix Busch son, Brexton Busch and wife, Samantha Busch in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on Feb. 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)

1 / 18

See the most heartfelt moments with Kyle Busch and his family.

Kyle Busch’s career left a lasting mark on NASCAR, with achievements and moments that defined his time in the sport.

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 zone/Thorntons Chevrolet, exits his car and reacts after an on-track incident during the NASCAR Cup Series Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway on June 30, 2024, in Lebanon, Tennessee.

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.

(Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on Feb. 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.

(Jonathan Bachman, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 54 Monster Energy Toyota, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR XFINITY Series Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway on Oct. 17, 2015, in Kansas City, Kansas.

(Matt Sullivan, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, celebrates winning the series championship and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22, 2015, in Homestead, Florida.

(Mike Ehrmann, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Toyota, celebrates in victory lane after winning the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead Speedway on Nov. 17, 2019, in Homestead, Florida.

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, and crew celebrate in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.

(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Realtree Chevrolet, celebrates with his wife, Samantha Busch, and daughter, Lennix Busch victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series SpeedyCash.com 250 at Texas Motor Speedway on April 12, 2024, in Fort Worth, Texas.

(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet, waves to fans as he walks onstage during driver intros prior to the NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on Aug. 24, 2024, in Daytona Beach, Florida.

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet, celebrates with his daughter, Lennix Busch in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 Racing 208 at Echo Park Speedway on Feb. 21, 2026, in Hampton, Georgia.

(Sean Gardner, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 18 M&M’s Crispy Toyota, celebrates with his son Brexton and wife Samantha in Victory Lane after winning the series championship and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 22, 2015, in Homestead, Florida.

(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.

(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 8 3CHI Chevrolet, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300 at WWT Raceway on June 4, 2023, in Madison, Illinois.

(Jeff Curry, Getty Images)

Kyle Busch, driver of the No. 7 Gainbridge Chevrolet, celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Fr8 208 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Feb. 22, 2025, in Hampton, Georgia.

(Chris Graythen, Getty Images)

After taking the checkered flag, Hill drove his No. 21 Chevrolet over to a spot on the military installation where Busch’s stylized No. 8 was printed and did a burnout next to it.

“Hell yeah man,” one of Hill’s crew members said on the radio during his burnout. “Good doing it on the logo. KB would be proud.”

Upon arriving in victory lane, Hill swapped out his sponsor’s ballcap with one that had Busch’s No. 8 on the front of it. He was emotional after the victory during an interview with a reporter from the CW.

“I was just looking for something those last few laps. I’m not going to lie, I started talking to this guy a little bit,” Hill said, pointing at the No. 8 on his hat. “Down the straightaways, I’m like, ‘Man, Kyle if you’re here, give me something right? Let me find another gear.’ For whatever reason the car started to come to life…Everybody at RCR, we’ve been through a lot these last several weeks.”

In victory lane, Hill and his RCR team all performed the Busch Bow, a nod to the two-time Cup Series champion’s signature celebration.

The CW also caught up with team owner Richard Childress and the 80-year-old veteran of the sport was searching for words to describe how the win felt.

“It’s great. It’s great to win here. We all got Kyle in our hearts,” Childress said, his voice cracking. “You may not show it on the outside but you do.”

Hill dedicated the victory to the entire team based in Welcome, North Carolina.

“RC has been through a lot in this sport. I knew that this win meant a lot to him. You don’t really see RC get too emotional. To see him emotional in victory lane like he was, that just goes to show hard (Busch’s death) is hitting everybody, and him included, and how special this win is for RCR,” Hill said after the race. “This win is for everyone. This win isn’t just for the No. 21 team. This is for the entire organization of 300-plus employees that we have.”

The chaotic race across the 3.4-mile track — NASCAR’s first on an active U.S. military base — lasted more than four-and-a-half hours and featured 14 cautions and two red flags. Hill passed Taylor Gray on the final lap for a memorable finish. His celebratory burnout damaged his rear tires so badly that his car had to be towed to victory lane.

A 32-year-old from Georgia, Hill has driven full-time in the O’Reilly Series for RCR over the past five seasons, finishing inside the top six of the standings each year. Saturday marked his 16th win in the series. He also has eight wins in the Truck Series and has been a regular season champion of both the O’Reilly and Truck Series.

For Sunday’s Cup Series race, Hill qualified 10th. Since jumping into Busch’s seat following his sudden death, the car has been renumbered from 8 to 33. Childress has said that Busch’s stylized No. 8 will remain retired until his son, 11-year-old Brexton, wants to use it.