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Truck series driver Austin Hill making national series debut at home track of Atlanta

Iowa Speedway - Day 1

NEWTON, IA - JUNE 07: Austin Hill, driver of the #13 Don Rich Ford/A&D Welding Toyota, prepares for practice in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Casey’s General Store 150 at Iowa Speedway on June 7, 2013 in Newton, Iowa. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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While much attention will be given to Chase Elliott and his Sprint Cup debut at his home track of Atlanta Motor Speedway, he is not the only Georgian making a significant start at the track.

Austin Hill, of Winston, Ga., will make his first national NASCAR series start at AMS in Saturday’s Camping World Truck Series’ Great Clips 200.

Hill, a first generation driver and a member of the 2015-16 NASCAR Next class, will attempt to make the race in his self-owned No. 20 ARCO Design/Build Ford.

Hill failed to qualify at Daytona for the Empire Racing Group, but will compete the rest of the season for his own team, Austin Hill Racing. He is expected to enter races at Dover, Kentucky, Bristol and Texas.

“It has been very busy, yet exciting, trying to take on the two tasks — being the driver and essentially team owner,” Hill said in a team release. “My dad would like me to run the company, while also being hands on with the truck. It’s totally new to my wife (Ashlyn) and I, who helps me on the business side, but we’re having a lot of fun with it.”

MORE: NASCAR Next Q&A with Austin Hill

At 21, Hill has won at Atlanta in Bandoleros and Legends cars and has been racing since his father, Bryan Hill, gave him a quarter midget for his 6th birthday. His first race at the track in Hampton, Ga., about 39 miles southeast of Winston, came at the age of 9.

“I think my dad kind of thought it was just going to be a hobby of mine that we would do for a few years until I started to like basketball and baseball. But here we are today running the NASCAR Truck series this season. He’s the reason I’m here today and I can’t thank him enough.”

Hill has six starts in the Truck series in addition to his five wins, 13 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes in the K&N Pro Series East over the last three years.

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