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As Team Penske driver Austin Cindric in his #2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang touched the checkered ground, his crew could not help it as they burst into celebration, celebrating his first Daytona 500 triumph.
While watching a clip tweeted by NASCAR, he was moved by how excited they were. As a way to express how overwhelmed he was by their celebrations, he took to his Twitter account and wrote:
“This is by far the best thing I’ve seen from yesterday. Can’t describe how happy watching this makes me.”
With two laps to go until the checkered flag at the Daytona 500, Cindric was leading from the top lane. He then pulled out and joined the bottom line to have a good collaboration with Ryan Blaney, his team-mate.
The two managed to hold back Bubba Wallace Jr. Blaney then tried to make his way to the checkered ground before Cindric blocked him and still held Wallace Jr. before finally emerging the winner. Wallace Jr. finished in second place while Blaney finished in 4th place.
The bright upcoming driver's celebration was out of the ordinary considering it was his first race of the Cup Series season and his first Daytona 500. Fans joined in the celebration, with one fan congratulating him in a comment, saying:
“Congratulations dude! First wins are always great but if it’s Daytona, it just means more.”
The young driver was promoted to the Cup Series at the end of last season, taking Brad Keselowski’s Ford Mustang #2 after the latter left Team Penske.
Cindric became the second-youngest driver ever to win the Great American Race in NASCAR's history by taking the victory. He also ranks as the ninth driver ever to win his first Cup Series race at the Daytona 500.
Austin Cindric's performance before Daytona 500 win
The triumph was Team Penske’s third win after Joey Logano took the cup in 2015 and Ryan Newman in 2008. It was, however, not his first win at Daytona International Speedway — he had won a race at Speedway during the 2021 season opener of the Xfinity Series.
It was not by luck that the rookie carried the day as he has been one of the best young drivers in NASCAR’s history, having won the 2020 Xfinity Series Championship. He also performed extremely well in the Bluegreen Vacations Duels as he was placed in the 5th position.
After a spectacular performance at the Speedway, his next move is to add more effort as he prepares for the upcoming races.
