HAMPTON, Ga. -- Multiple Xfinity Series drivers left Atlanta Motor Speedway frustrated after Saturday evening's race.
Yes, Chandler Smith and Josh Williams scored points and finished the race at a track known for chaos, but they also felt like their Toyota and Chevrolet teammates robbed them of a chance to battle Austin Hill for the win.
Williams was in contention for a top-five finish with 13 laps remaining in the race. He was the second car on the inside lane at the restart, and he was leading the bottom lane with 11 laps to go.
The situation unfolded from that point. Williams tried to take the lead, but he didn't have the help he needed to make the bottom work. He had to settle for eighth instead of contending for a playoff-sealing win.
"We're supposed to be Chevrolet teammates, right," a frustrated Williams said after the race on pit road. "Every Chevy I was behind either bailed or every Chevy that was behind me bailed. Super cool. I guess we're just on our own."
Smith, for comparison, made his move with two laps remaining. He bumped Hill from behind and got the No. 21 loose. This opened up an opportunity to potentially make the pass on the inside, which he tried.
However, Corey Heim, another Toyota driver, remained in the top lane with Hill. Smith lost his momentum while both Heim and Parker Kligerman passed him on the outside.
HOW SWEEP IT IS for Austin Hill! 🧹
Fourth win at Atlanta for the RCR driver. #NASCAR pic.twitter.com/jQTEGuD7Zw
— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) September 7, 2024
"I expected my Toyota teammate to come with me, and it didn't happen," Smith told NBC Sports. "...I'm kind of speechless honestly. There are a lot of different things that I could have done.
"I could have been more selfish when I got cleared and went to the bottom and covered that and controlled the race for sure, but I was trying to be a good teammate and that didn't pay off for me today, as usual."
The lack of cohesiveness between manufacturer teammates was not on purpose, according to Kligerman. He told AltDriver that the bottom of the track was just "really, really, really hard to use" and that handling was just difficult. Some cars could make the bottom work while others just didn't have the turning ability.
Hill provided a different perspective during his victory press conference. He said that there were multiple times during the race when he would get a run and would have to quickly move to the other lane. He said he still tried to help Chevy teammates as much as possible.
Hill wasn't trying to leave anyone out to dry, so to speak. He just knew that he could potentially put himself in a bad position if he came rushing up behind the car directly in front of him. The track just doesn't have as much runway as bigger venues, and it doesn't deliver a pure superspeedway experience. It's more of a hybrid.
"I do think Atlanta, in general, has more of a product that you're not really looking at 'Does that guy have a bowtie, or does that guy have a Toyota sticker,'" Hill said. "'Does that guy have a Ford sticker?'
"It's what kind of run can you generate to get to the lead and fill a hole? Because this type of racing is just so much different than Daytona, Talladega."