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The 64th edition of the historic Daytona 500 expectedly managed to keep fans on their toes. First-time winner Austin Cindric took the race victory after a last-lap duel with Bubba Wallace Jr., who came in a close second.
Ryan Blaney helped push his team-mate Cindric to the line only to be blocked off at the very end. Highlighting his teamwork, Roger Penske, owner of their outfit Team Penske, said:
“They played ball, and Austin won.”
Fans were quick to compare the driver to Brad Keselowski, whom Cindric replaced in the team, with one fan tweeting:
“No offense to Austin Cindric, but he doesn’t exist yet. He’s just Brad Keselowski from an alternate timeline.”
One fan was also quick to joke about how Cindric's timeline was similar to Keselowski's, tweeting:
“It’s nice to see Brad Keselowski and Brad Keselowski from days of futures past”
And of course, there was a Talladega Nights reference as well:
“He’s like that driver In Talladega Nights that replaces Ricky Bobby in the 26.”
The Daytona 500 is a race that sits at the top of almost every NASCAR driver's to-win list in their career. Evidently, it has not lost its tendency to produce first-time winners at all.
Austin Cindric's 2021 Xfinity Series Championship and build-up to winning Daytona 500
It was only in November last year that Austin Cindric was disappointed in his title defense in the Xfinity Series. He could only manage a second-place finish in the championship, watching the title slip away from him.
Although he felt that he and the team were consistent enough and had a great race car to have won the title, it was not enough. Daniel Hemric managed to beat Cindric to the line in the last race on the final lap.
Watch how it unfolded for Cindric:
Cindric reflected on his previous season and said the Daytona 500 win made up for the loss he suffered in the Xfinity Series last year. He was also appreciative of the team's efforts and that of team-mate Ryan Blaney, for ultimately helping him win the race.
