By AMANDA VINCENT
Austin Hill claimed his second win of the 2026 NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series season and his 16th-career win Saturday in the United Rentals Driven to Serve 250, the inaugural race at Naval Base Coronado in San Diego. It was his first win on a road course.
“I’m not going to lie. I started talking to (Kyle Busch) a little bit,” Hill said. “Down the straightaways, I’m like, ‘Kyle, if you’re here, give me something, right? Let me find another gear.’ And for whatever reason, the car started to come to life, the two leaders got together, and when there was blood in the water behind (Taylor Gray), I knew it was going to be tough to get around him, but it was going to be a battle.”
Taylor Gray finished second after leading a race-high 16 laps of the 60-lap race. Sheldon Creed finished third, Carson Kvapil was fourth after leading 15 laps, and Kvapil’s JR Motorsports teammate Sammy Smith rounded out the top-five.
“I had really bad wheel-hop, there, at the end of my run,” Gray said. “I need to go back and look at it, but maybe I needed to go a shade lower on entry and not get wheel hop, honestly. Pretty disappointed in myself, but really proud of my whole Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota team. Thank you to Columbia Bank and Experiment. Got a good showing for Columbia Bank, but obviously, would love to be in victory lane, and that’s where my guys deserve to be.”
Hill led 13 laps but took his race-winning lead by passing Gray on the final lap. Contact was made that Hill attributed to a wheel-hop.
Gray also took a late-race lead with contact when he took the top spot from Kvapil on lap 58. Kvapil spun.
Kvapil took second from Gray on lap 38 and, then, the lead from Parker Retzlaff a lap later.
The race was attrition-filled, including a 23-car crash on lap 35 that necessitated the second red flag of the race for wall repair. Sam Mayer and Anthony Alfredo’s cars sustained the most damage. Mayer took blame for the incident.
“I’ve got to be better, a lot better,” Mayer said. “Visuals are hard here.”
Hill won the opening 15-lap stage. Retzlaff was second and Mayer third at stage-end.
A lot of stage one ran under caution after Corey Day’s car was damaged by a manhole cover. The race was red-flagged, and Day’s team was allowed to make repairs to the car during the red flag. He also was allowed to get his lost laps back during the caution laps that followed.
Pole sitter Brent Crews led until pitting with debris on his grille on lap 12. Hill, then, assumed the lead. Day also pitted under green late in the stage and received a speeding penalty.
Gray won stage two at lap 30. Retzlaff was second after a close battle with Gray on the last lap of the stage.
Hill gave up the lead to pit during a lap-23 caution for Lavar Scott. Gray and Retzlaff were first and second among 16 drivers who stayed out.
Jesse Love finished the race in the sixth position. Retzlaff finished seventh, Austin Green eighth, Harrison Burton ninth and Day 10th.
