Hill was given a one-race ban for wrecking Aric Almirola in the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Indianapolis and also served a five-lap stop-and-hold penalty for the incident in-race.

Hill missed the subsequent race at Iowa where he was replaced in the #21 Chevrolet Camaro by Austin Dillon.

Any absence that is not medically related precludes drivers from being eligible for the Playoffs unless they are given a waiver.

On Wednesday, NASCAR confirmed Hill had received a waiver and will be among the Round of 12 drivers.

However, the ban does mean Hill loses all bonus points earned in the regular season and will not be able to earn any more this year.

.@_AustinHill initially makes the save before making contact with @Aric_Almirola, bringing out the caution. pic.twitter.com/baBqE2TGqz

— The CW Sports (@TheCW_Sports) July 26, 2025

Before Hill was given the one-race ban, team owner Richard Childress maintained Hill’s innocence.

“I think there was a lot more that once NASCAR – I hope they take a deep dive into it like we have – if you look where the #00 (Sheldon Creed) was, he actually caught the #21 car (Austin Hill) and hooked him,” Childress reasoned.

“It was all so close and happened so fast. I went up to Austin after the race and asked him, I said ‘Austin, don’t lie to me. Tell me, did you do it on purpose?’ and he would tell me if he did. I know him that good.

“He said ‘No, I was fighting to hang onto the car and it went left on me’. I think when it went left on him, that’s when the #00 got into his left-rear quarter panel.

“You look at his hands and everything, he’s made a heck of a save. He’s coming down, he’s still fighting it. He was still fighting the car to save it.

“I think one thing that hurt him maybe a little bit was the comments after the race, but he’s a high-strung, very competitive, hard racer. He’s just an old school racer and sometimes you say something.

“I just hope that fans understand that you’ve got to look at the whole picture, look at the SMT where the #00 was and he was in his left-rear quarter. That’s what I looked at when I looked at it. He did not do it on purpose.”

The NASCAR Xfinity Series continues at Watkins Glen on Sunday, August 10 (AEST).

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