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Team Penske driver Austin Cindric was dissatisfied with his performance as he felt that he had missed the opportunity to claim a win last Sunday at Texas Motor Speedway. Driving the #2 Ford Mustang, he managed to run in the top-10 in both stages but failed to put up a challenge for the win. He then rallied back to post a 15th-place finish when the checkered flag waved.
During the post-race interview, Cindric expressed his disappointment at missing out on his second win of the season at the Lone-Star State. He, however, appeared hopeful, saying that despite earning stage points being his team’s weakness, this week they were able to earn points in both stages. He also claimed to have a great team and expressed the belief that he can still qualify for the next playoff round.
Cindric said:
“Getting stage points has been our weakness as a race team. We were able to get that in both stages today and really grind one out and show a lot of poise but have nothing to show for it so I am pretty upset about it. We are still on offense. We will put our heart and soul into it just like everyone else does. I have a great team behind me and I believe in myself and believe we can make the Round of 8, whether that is with a race win or on points. But it was a missed opportunity tonight, for sure.”
The eventful NASCAR race at the 1.5-mile-long track saw cars slamming into the wall and-or each other every few minutes. Cindric was also one of the victims who suffered an intense vibration midway through the opening segment.
With 33 laps remaining, Austin Cindric’s #2 car went on to spin after making a contract with a spinning Ricky Stenhouse Jr’s #47 car. The #2 car was forced to pit the road for a tire change and then he lagged even further behind in the race.
“We didn’t execute very well at the beginning of the race” – Austin Cindric
Daytona 500 winner Austin Cindric admitted that despite crossing a lot of drivers throughout the race, he didn’t execute well during the start of the event. He feels that he missed out on the top position or even a win after spinning late in the race.
Cindric said:
“I felt like we had a really fast Discount Tire Ford Mustang. We made the right changes throughout the day. I would say we didn’t execute very well at the beginning of the race but passed a lot of cars throughout the day and then got caught up in somebody else’s mistake that took us out of a top five or top three or even a shot at the win. I am very upset about it.”
Currently, Austin Cindric stands 10th in the playoff standings, 11 points short of advancing into the Round of 8. He will have to perform well this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway to stay alive in the battle for the 2022 championship.
