0
0
By Ronald Young.
Photo: Michael Jaworecki
Austin Cindric’s runner-up finish last weekend at Kansas Speedway served as the latest testament to his remarkable consistency since the Chase began. Over the opening four postseason races, the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford has compiled an impressive 9.0 average finish, placing no lower than 13th in any event.
After entering the ‘Chase’ seeded 15th, Cindric’s performances have elevated him to ninth heading into Sunday’s race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. By continually outperforming higher-seeded contenders who have suffered unexpected DNFs or mechanical troubles, the No. 2 team has capitalized on every opportunity.
During a Ford media availability earlier this week, Cindric was asked whether his team’s strong momentum at Kansas could seamlessly carry over into upcoming intermediate tracks like Las Vegas and Charlotte. While noting that certain setup data translates, Cindric cautioned that every track presents distinct challenges, making a strong run far from guaranteed.
“I think being able to verify our notebook and get validation from the weekend prior is really important,” Cindric explained. “Not just for us on the No. 2 car, but for everyone at Team Penske, it was definitely a step up in performance compared to the spring.”
When asked how the pressure of the Chase compares to past playoff formats, Cindric highlighted his team’s aggressive approach to taking chances they were unable to take while defending their point standing earlier this summer.
“For us to jump from one of the lowest seeds into the top 10 in standings is great,” Cindric said. “My mentality since the Chase started has been to stay loose, have fun, and drive like we have nothing to lose and everything to gain. That’s exactly how I plan to race from here to the end of the season.”
Addressing Team Penske’s midseason turnaround that has also seen teammates Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano score wins and run among the leaders, Cindric praised the organization’s relentless effort across all levels to improve.
“It’s a whole group effort—a full year’s worth of hard work to get us to this point,” he emphasized. “I’m proud to see that work paying off, and hopefully we can leverage that notebook to keep excelling through the final stretch.”
Cindric remains committed to the team-oriented culture and believes it will give them a competitive edge over the final six races.
“We do a great job of communicating, collaborating, and utilizing our infrastructure to make gains,” Cindric noted. “The communication between our teams is better than anywhere else. When you combine that with our current consistency, there’s every reason to believe we can keep improving.”
Whether Cindric can progress further up the standings will play out over the next month. Moving forward, it would have to be considered a successful year if he continues to contend for wins and gain a top 5 points finish.
