Austin Hill gets RCR’s No. 33 Cup ride starting in 2027
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 24, 2026
Austin Hill move
Austin Hill will drive the No. 33 Chevrolet full time for Richard Childress Racing in the NASCAR Cup Series starting next season. The move gives Hill his first full-time Cup campaign after he leaves the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and it locks in a clear next step for a driver who has already spent time in the car. Hill has driven the No. 33 Chevrolet since Memorial Day weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, and he is finishing this season as the interim driver before the permanent handoff arrives.
The timing fits the way RCR has used him. Hill has already made 30 Cup Series starts, so the organization has a working baseline on his speed and comfort level at the top level. His best Cup finish is ninth at the Chicago Street Race, a result that gives him a top-10 mark to build on as he moves into a full-time seat. That background matters because the No. 33 seat is no longer a short-term assignment. It becomes Hill’s ride next season, with the team moving him from temporary duty into a full-time Cup role after a stretch of part-time work and continued development in the lower series.
Richard Childress plan
Richard Childress said Hill’s growth and work ethic have put him in position for the next step, and the move reflects that view from the top of the organization. The decision gives RCR a driver it already knows well and one who has spent months learning the Cup side of the program in the same car he will keep driving. Hill said he is grateful for the opportunity and eager to build on what he has learned in Cup, a response that matches the straightforward path RCR has laid out for him.
The setup also keeps Hill busy through the end of this season. He is expected to race in both the Cup Series and the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series until the year is over, then move into the full-time Cup seat. That arrangement gives him one more stretch of dual duty before the promotion becomes permanent. It also gives RCR continuity in the No. 33 Chevrolet, with Hill already familiar with the car and the team before he takes over the ride on a full-time basis. For RCR, the choice keeps the handoff clean. For Hill, it turns the interim role into a direct route to the Cup Series job he has been working toward.
O’Reilly Auto Parts results
Hill’s promotion is backed by a strong record in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and across NASCAR’s national ranks. He has 16 wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, 24 wins in 291 combined starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, and two wins in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series this season. Those numbers show the level of success he has produced before the Cup move becomes permanent. They also explain why RCR is comfortable giving him the next opening in the lineup.
Hill enters the stretch run seventh in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series standings and has already clinched a playoff berth. That keeps him in the postseason picture while he prepares for a bigger role in Cup. The combination of wins, playoff qualification and Cup experience gives the team a profile it can measure from several angles. Hill has produced in the Trucks, he has won regularly in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series and he has logged 30 Cup starts. That mix is what makes the move to the No. 33 Chevrolet more than a short-term fill-in. It gives RCR a driver with race-winning results behind him and a full-time Cup seat ahead of him.
