NASCAR shares hilarious glimpse of Austin Cindric's Talladega wreath obsession

(Image via Instagram/ @team_penske, @nascar)
(Image via Instagram/ @team_penske, @nascar)

No. 2 Team Penske racer Austin Cindric scored his third win of the season but first win at the Talladega Superspeedway, making for a memorable last lap at the Jack Link's 500.

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While Austin Cindric's victory at Talladega ignited a celebration for Team Penske and their fans, the racer wore his victory wreath to most post-race interviews. In a recent compilation showcasing the No. 2 racer's obsession with Talladega's wreath, Cindric responded to Fox News' interviewer Bob Pockrass, questioning him about the same.

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The Team Penske racer said that the interviewer would resonate with his feelings if he had won the Talladega 500 and was given the floral wreath too. The interviewer said that he'd only wear it for "a little bit of time", to which Cindric hilariously responded:

"Well, your concept of a little bit of time might be different than mine. I'm gonna try to walk on the plane with this thing." (via NASCAR)
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In another interview snippet, Austin Cindric is seen admiring the wreath, stating:

"I hope these flowers don't die. They're pretty. But I'm gonna keep it, of course. This is one of the coolest things I've ever gotten. You know as somebody that grew up really idolizing Indy500 winners, they have the wreath there and I've never gotten to wear a wreath after winning a race. So, it's one step to being like my heroes, so its a cool tradition to have here." (via NASCAR)
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The racer also mentioned that he's planning to hang the floral arrangement on his wall next to the trophy.

Cindric had the upper hand at the Talladega race owing to a run-long strategy and a final fuel-only pit stop with a 3.2-second heater, which allowed him to race at the front of the track. Ensuring a constant momentum throughout, the 26-year-old speedster beat RFK Racing's Ryan Preece by 0.02 seconds.


Austin Cindric reflects on teammate Joey Logano's frustration at Talladega

Austin Cindric achieved a photofinish win at Talladega this year; however, his teammate, Joey Logano, didn’t seem impressed with the racer’s actions on the final lap of the second stage.

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Logano expressed his frustration over not getting the necessary push from Cindric to surpass 23 XI Racing rival Bubba Wallace, resulting in the No. 22 Team Penske racer losing out on earning bonus points. Joey Logano's anger was obvious from what he said about Cindric on the team radio:

"Way to go, Austin. Way to go you dumb f***. Way to f****ing go. What a stupid s***. God! He just gave it to him. Gave it to him. Gave a Toyota the stage win. Nice job. Way to go. What the f***." (via ESPN)
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After the race, Austin Cindric commented on the situation and said that he felt like he "just got pinched." The Team Penske racer explained how he was trying not to wreck the cars in front of him, including Logano's; however, it was a messy end to stage 2. Admitting that he and Joey Logano "let one slip there", Cindric reflected on Logano's discontent with him and said:

“I can understand his frustration without kind of seeing the whole picture. These are the types of things that when you’re expecting someone to have your best interest, those are the challenges, right? We have a lot of meetings centered around that. I feel like it requires constant maintenance. It’s not always pretty. The conversations aren’t always easy.” (via NASCAR)
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Acquiring 48 points through his Talladega triumph, Austin Cindric is currently in 14th place on the NASCAR Cup Series points table with 219 points.

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Edited by Aatreyee Aich
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