By David Morgan, Associate Editor
TALLADEGA, Ala. – Austin Hill added another NASCAR Xfinity Series superspeedway win to his resume, but it would come down to a video review to determine whether it was him or Jeb Burton that would be making the trip to Victory Lane.
On the final lap, Connor Zilisch was spun off the nose of Jesse Love, making hard contact with the inside SAFER barrier to bring out the caution flag and freeze the field to bring the race to an end.
Hill, Jeb Burton, and Love would find themselves in a three-way battle entering Turn 3 when the yellow flag was displayed, sending the finish to a booth review to find out which of the three was ahead at the instant the caution came out.
All three drivers stopped their cars on the frontstretch while they waited out the agonizing minutes as NASCAR poured over the footage to figure out who to award the win to – eventually determining that it was Hill that was out front by the slimmest of margins to deliver him the win.
The victory was his first at Talladega, third of the season and ninth on a superspeedway, which makes him the all-time leader in superspeedway wins in the Xfinity Series, surpassing the late Dale Earnhardt, Sr. and Tony Stewart.
“I couldn’t tell. I knew it was either me or the 27 [Burton]. Man, to win them, any way you win them is great,” Hill said. “To finally conquer Talladega, that’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a really long time.
“I just really wanted to win [Talladega]. We’ve won at all these other superspeedways. To finally get it done at all the superspeedways that we go to, it just goes to show this 21 team can win at any of them. We’re really good at this style of racing.”
.@TheCW_Sports shows the camera angles that NASCAR used to determine the winner of this afternoon's race at @TALLADEGA. pic.twitter.com/ohj2oVsB6D
— NASCAR Xfinity (@NASCAR_Xfinity) April 26, 2025
On the flip side of the coin, it was a heartbreak for Burton and Jordan Anderson Racing, which counts the superspeedway races as their best opportunities to win throughout the Xfinity Series season.
Burton started off his post-race interview irritated that the call did not go his way, especially as he watched the replay and attempted to make his case that it should have been his team in Victory Lane.
“I felt like we did everything we could today,” Burton said. “Just frustrated. I feel like when the caution flew, I was ahead of the 21, so I don’t know if we can call it or what. Last weekend at Rockingham, I got pretty screwed on a yellow that put me back a row and today, I lose the race because of a timing line.
“I don’t see the 21 ahead of me at all any of this time. And right there, you can see my nose is in front of the 21. I don’t know what we’re looking at, but is it not in front to you?
“That angle right there, we won the race and that’s what I saw off my right front. I think I’ve got the best view of it of anybody. They need to go look at it, because every angle I keep seeing we win the race…. we’re going to protest if we can protest. Do whatever the hell we can do, because I think we won this race.”
Burton then turned emotional about being so close to being able to deliver a win to his little team that could, which comes into races like Talladega banking on them being their best chance to win all season.
“We don’t have a lot of chances to win, you know? And that’s what’s frustrating,” Burton said as his voice quivered and he fought back tears.
Love would be credited with a third-place finish on the day, followed by defending series champion Justin Allgaier, Matt DiBenedetto, Anthony Alfredo, Blaine Perkins, Harrison Burton, Sheldon Creed, and Daniel Dye.
After his crash on the final lap, Zilisch would be evaluated and released from the Infield Care Center.
Next weekend, the Xfinity Series heads to the Lone Star State to take on Texas Motor Speedway next Saturday afternoon.
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