That old rivalry on the asphalt struck again, as Speedcafe reports. During Lap 110 of the 267-lap race, van Gisbergen slid up in front of Hill to grab 26th place. The move pushed Hill into the wall, costing him two positions to Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) and Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports).
Naturally, the red mist descended. Spotter Derek Kneeland tried to keep the peace on the radio, telling him to settle down and that everything was good. Hill fired back immediately with a sarcastic laugh, asking what his spotter meant by it. It is just the latest chapter in a long catalog of clashes between the two, which even required a trip to the NASCAR hauler following a shunt in San Diego back in July that left van Gisbergen furious.
Our Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet had speed on the long run, but we struggled on fire off,
Kneeland tried to reason with the Richard Childress Racing driver, warning him that they cannot keep racing each other like this every week unless they want destroyed cars and no finishes. Whether either driver is being a jerk, the spotter stressed the need to survive and finish, urging Hill to keep it together after a run that had gone sideways. Hill flatly rejected the guidance.
“I don’t want to hear it,” Hill fired back over the team radio. “Honestly, I don’t want to freakin’ hear it from you. Just spot.”
When the dust settled, van Gisbergen crossed the line in 24th position while Hill took 26th. Both machines finished one single lap down on race winner Kyle Larson. Assessing the machine after the checkered flag, Hill pointed to the handling characteristics of his Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet.
“Our Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen Chevrolet had speed on the long run, but we struggled on fire off,” Hill explained post-race. For the opening 15-20 laps, the car was intensely tight and took too long to come around, while the rear tires were at their absolute limit by the conclusion of a stint. If they had managed to avoid bleeding so much ground early on, he believes a solid finish was on the cards since the beast would drive back forward as the runs progressed. They will take the lessons forward and aim to return stronger next season, with the NASCAR Cup Series action resuming at Las Vegas on October 5 (AEDT).
