Richard Childress teammates Austin Hill and Jesse Love just ended their feud. The Kansas Speedway crash left Hill in the wall and Love in the hot seat. The teammates had to find common ground before the high-speed chaos of Talladega, and Love's comments show that they have.

“The week went really great,” Love said. “I kind of gained a whole new respect for Austin. He really sat down and explained some things," said Love.

While Love initially chalked the wreck up to "racing really hard," a sit-down meeting during the week changed his outlook on the incident. He admitted he messed up his approach to the situation and realized he had to take responsibility to keep things from getting worse.

“I made a mistake with how I reacted to us racing, and I could have done one of two things, right? Either do nothing about it and let it fester, or take ownership of it. Obviously, I have to make it right by him, but most importantly, learn from him,” Love explained.

Hill agreed that the talk was necessary, especially given the type of racing they face this weekend.

“We could have been going to Texas next week instead of it being Talladega, and we definitely needed to work it out and have a conversation just to see where his mindset was,” Hill said.

He described the talk as positive and made it clear he isn't interested in dragging out the drama. “I’m not gonna sit here and beat a dead horse. It was a positive conversation."

The Clash That Ended Hill’s Day

The trouble between the RCR teammates started on lap 38 at Kansas while they were fighting for sixth place. On one of the turns, Jesse Love, on the outside lane, got way too close to Austin Hill’s No. 21 Chevy, which sucked the air right off Hill’s right rear.

This put Hill in a bad aero spot, sending him into a spin which was then T-boned by the No. 18 Toyota of William Sawalich. This ended his race before he even hit 40 laps. While Hill was stuck with a DNF, Love stayed out there and managed to finish the day in fourth.

Hill didn't hold back his frustration after getting out of the care center, saying he expected a lot more room from a teammate. Love eventually admitted he messed up by getting that tight on Hill’s door. He told the media he took full ownership of the mistake and had a good talk with Hill to make sure they're good to go for the next one.

Now, both drivers have resolved the matter and will now look to channel that renewed understanding into their approach at Talladega Superspeedway, a track where teamwork is as important as ever.

Written by

Sanskriti Pastor

Edited by

Suyashdeep Sason