Hill, 28, is entering his second fulltime season in the Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing but will also run six races this year in Cup with Beard Motorsports and its No. 62 Chevrolet.
His schedule for the year currently includes both Daytona races, both Talladega races, Michigan and the Charlotte Roval.
As an unchartered team and more cars entered than spots in the field, Hill will have to qualify well or race his way into the 40-car field for Sunday’s season opener.
Wrapped and ready for Daytona. 😎 #NASCAR | #Daytona500 pic.twitter.com/CB0U657MyX
— Beard Motorsports (@BeardOil62) February 7, 2023
“As long as I don’t destroy a car and only mess up a fender or something that can be easily fixed, I’m going to do whatever it takes to make the Daytona 500,” said Hill, who already owns wins at Daytona in both the Xfinity and Truck series.
“It’s something that as a little kid you always dream of, racing in the Cup level, and then also racing in the Daytona 500. It’s our Super Bowl. I’m going to do whatever it takes to make it in. I will hang it all out on the line.
“And if it comes down to the last lap and we are racing another guy to make it in, I’m going to be as aggressive as I can to get … in the show. That’s the goal.”
A strong driver/team combination
Hill already has an excellent track record on superspeedways and is well-versed with the performance of ECR engines, which Beard utilizes.
Hill opened his Xfinity career last season at RCR with a victory at Daytona. He also won at Atlanta, which races much like a superspeedway since its repaving and reconfiguration.
In recent seasons, Beard Motorsports has focused mostly on running the superspeedway races and earned a top-five finish last August with driver Noah Gragson. Prior to 2022, Beard boasted a pair of top-10 finishes at Daytona in the 2020 season with driver Brendan Gaughan (seventh in the 500 and eighth in August).
“I think one of the things that has helped me be successful on the superspeedways is RCR. We have really fast superspeedway Chevrolets,” Hill said. “Anytime we go to a superspeedway, we just have that raw speed and we’re up front. When you do have that raw speed and you are fast, it makes it a little bit easier, but the driver still plays a role and the spotter plays a huge role.
“I truly believe every superspeedway race is different from the next and you have to drive them a little bit differently. But to sit here and say I have some ability that other guys don’t have on superspeedways – I can’t say that. I just think I have a good understanding of where the runs are going and things like that.
“That just clicks for me.”
An entirely new experience
Hill said he hopes his limited Cup Series track time this season will help his performance out on the Xfinity side as he competes for his first series championship.
“Having the opportunity to run the Cup car adds to the level of excitement I have going into this Speedweek in Daytona,” Hill said.
“I’ve never driven a Cup car on a superspeedway, so that is going to be a challenge – a good challenge – and one that I look forward to.”
