Austin Hill, who has impressed mightily this year during his NASCAR Xfinity Series rookie campaign, will make six NASCAR Cup Series starts for Beard Motorsports in the No. 62 entry in 2023.
Beard Motorsports made the announcement on Friday.
In a team release, Hill states that his NASCAR Cup Series debut earlier this season, which resulted in an 18th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway for Richard Childress Racing, was the culmination of a lifelong goal and he is excited to make more Cup Series starts next season.
“From the moment I started in quarter midgets back home in Georgia, racing in the NASCAR Cup Series has always been my goal,” Hill said. “I’m incredibly grateful to Richard Childress for giving me the platform to race and win in my first season in the Xfinity Series, and for the opportunity the Beard family has provided me to run more races in Cup.”
According to a press release from the team, Hill will pilot the Chevrolet Camaro in the season-opening Daytona 500 and he’ll also return to the team for Talladega Superspeedway in April, the Chicago Street Course in July, Michigan International Speedway in August, Daytona International Speedway in August and Talladega Superspeedway in October.
Sponsorship for Hill’s tenure with the team will be coming at a later date.
For Beard Motorsports, a family-owned race team, Hill certainly fits the mold for the organization.
“We’re a proud, family-run race team and these six races in 2023 are moments we’re really looking forward to,” said Amie Beard, executive vice president, Beard Motorsports. “No job is too small here at Beard Motorsports, and if anyone can appreciate that, it’s Austin. He’s raced and run his own team and been successful. It’s helped make him a really good driver and an even better person and we’re thrilled to have him as part of our team.”
Overall, the organization loves that Hill has a background similar to their team’s background and they truly believe he has shown that he has the ability to succeed in 2023 with the No. 62 team.
“Austin has really seized the opportunities that he’s had in his young career. He’s won in Trucks and here he is winning in his first year in the Xfinity Series. It’s all very impressive. He brings a lot of talent and just a really strong desire to compete, and that’s a great combination for us to have at Beard Motorsports,” said Mark Beard Jr., executive vice president, Beard Motorsports.
The six races that Beard Motorsports is expecting to run in 2023 will mark the highest total of starts for the team in their history in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The team’s previous high was a five-race campaign with Brendan Gaughan back in 2020.
The team has scored one top-five finish and five top-10s in 21 total NASCAR Cup Series starts. The team also operated in the NASCAR Xfinity Series part-time in 1982, 1986, 1990 and 1991.
