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Top NASCAR rookie driver Austin Cindric was among the top winning contenders to be eliminated by a terrifying wreck in Turn 2 that collected several cars at Michigan International Speedway over the weekend.
Before heading to Michigan, Cindric had an impressive result in Indianapolis, where he secured a second-place finish. Heading to Michigan, the Columbus, Ohio native was hoping for a strong finish like any other driver, but a restart on lap 25 ruined his day and he ultimately crossed the checkered flag in last place.
The mess began with #15 driver J.J. Yeley, who got loose after a restart on lap 25, receiving back contact from Michael McDowell and a right side contact from Aric Almirola. Ty Gibbs was tagged in the process as well and he went on to hit Austin Cindric, sending him hard into the wall.
Following the crash, Cindric's #2 Ford Mustang was badly damaged, and he was done for the day. Despite being hit hard, the Team Penske driver climbed out of his car on his own, and the infield care center later cleared him. Kyle Busch was also collected in the crash, and his #18 Toyota also suffered serious damage
Despite getting a hard hit from the 19-year-old driver, Austin Cindric confirmed that it wasn’t Gibbs' fault that he ended up in the wall since everyone was stacked up, which led to a massive wreck.
Speaking in a post-race interview, Austin Cindric said:
“All I saw was the 15 car sideways and just everything stacked up.I got tagged in the left rear, shoved me up the race track, and then got turned head-on into the fence. Looks like the 15 just got loose, stacked everybody up, and got run into the back of.”
He added:
“Not Ty’s fault, just everyone’s stacking up, but obviously a pretty massive hit to the outside wall head-on.”
Disappointing finish at Michigan Speedway didn’t affect Austin Cindric’s playoffs spot
Though he was physically fit, Austin felt wasted running a couple of laps before finally getting to the last position. This marked his second DNF since the second half of the season started on June 26, 2022, in Nashville. His current average finishing score stands at 16.48, with nine top-ten finishes and 65 laps led this season.
Despite a disappointing finish at Michigan Speedway over the weekend, his playoff spot is still safe, and he’s the only rookie driver who has managed to hit the playoffs this season. The previous weekend at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Austin Cindric led his fellow rookies Burton and Todd Gilliland in making history that was last seen in July of 1994.
During the event, all three rookies finished in the top five, beating the Cup Series veterans. This was the first time since July 1994 at Pocono Raceway, where Jeff Burton was among the rookies then. With only three races remaining in the regular season, Cindric is looking forward to adding more wins to his record and possibly breaking the record and winning a championship as a rookie.
