'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Rookie driver Austin Cindric drove his Discounted Tire Ford Mustang #2 for the first time on Road America over the weekend and scored a seventh-place finish. Road America was inaugurated last year as one of the Cup Series road course tracks, with most drivers hitting the road for the second time, but for Cindric it was his first as a Cup driver having made his top-tier series debut this season.
Though he was unable to drive into Victory Lane, Austin Cindric claimed he still maintains his love for the track. In 2020, the rookie driver netted a clean Xfinity series win despite a delay due to weather conditions. Judging from Sunday's race performance, Austin was among the fastest drivers and he really had a solid day, but grabbing the win became a little bit difficult.
In a post-race interview, he said:
“I still love this race track. I wish we would have been a little bit better. It felt like we had a really solid day and were able to make our way through the field after staying out for stage points.”
Since his return after NASCAR's break, the second half of the 2022 season hasn’t been going badly for the #2 driver. The most recent result marked his second consecutive P7 after finishing seventh in Nashville the previous weekend.
Austin Cindric’s performance in the road course races during the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season
The Road America event was the third road course event and 19th race of the 2022 season. The California native has had some of his best performances in these three road course races.
In the first road course event that was at the Circuit of Americas, Austin Cindric recorded a P8 finish, which was a relief for him after a whole month of bumpy races.
After the COTA race, things got worse for him as he was posting top-20 finishes for most of the races that month. After a rough month, he finally netted his second top-three finish in the All-Star Race, finishing P3.
The second road course of the season was held at Sonoma, where he put in another outstanding performance, posting a P5 finish. His P7 at Road America on Sunday was another encouraging performance from the young driver.
The 2022 Daytona winner now has six top-ten finishes, including three top-five finishes. With eight races to go for the playoffs, Austin Cindric has already secured a place in the playoffs this season due to his win despite being low on points.
