NASCAR playoff driver BANNED for wrecking rival addresses penalty impact

As the NASCAR Xfinity Series playoffs get underway, Austin Hill has offered an insight into his mindset given he enters the postseason with zero playoff points.

Hill won three races and multiple stages throughout the regular season, which saw his playoff tally stand at 21 points by the start of August.

However, after NASCAR officials deemed he intentionally wrecked Aric Almirola at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in late July, Hill received a one-race suspension and subsequently required a waiver to compete in the postseason.

This was granted, but a mandatory condition of this was that Hill forfeited all of his playoff points earned to that point, with the 31-year-old also unable to add to his playoff tally for the rest of the regular season.

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Hill reveals playoff approach after major penalty

The above means Hill entered the playoffs on Saturday night bottom of the standings and below the cut line, but he insists his mindset is no different despite his points punishment weighing him down.

“For me, every playoffs that I've been in, especially last year, my number one focus is to try to win the race,” Hill explained, via Fox Sports' Bob Pockrass.

“If I can't win the race, we don't have a car capable of doing that, then try to finish second. If I can't finish second, third, fourth, and so on.

“For me I I don't see it as something that I'm going to look at anything different in the playoffs.

“If we get to that last round, before the next round starts, if we get to that last race, there might be one of those things where I glance at it just to see where I'm at in relation to the rest of the guys, but yeah, for me, I've always just been someone that when the playoffs start, I try not to view it a whole lot different.”

Hill loses ground at Bristol

Unfortunately for Hill, he did not do his playoff campaign much good at Bristol on Friday night, finishing 19th in the Food City 300.

The 31-year-old now heads to Kansas next time out sitting 11th out of 12 drivers in the playoff standings, and 16 points below the cutoff line.

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