CONCORD, N.C. — Austin Cindric may not win the Chase for the NASCAR Cup Series championship, but he’s certainly turned a few heads during the first six races of the 10-race run to the finale.
The Team Penske driver started the Chase as the No. 15 seed aboard the No. 2 Ford Mustang. His steady performances have seen him rise to eighth in the standings. However, with four races remaining, including Sunday’s race at Phoenix Raceway, Cindric is 145 points behind championship leader Kyle Larson.
Cindric knows time is running out on the season.
“I think in the scheme of the Chase, four races is still a lot, but in the scheme of we’ve been racing since February, it’s crazy there there are only four races left,” Cindric told the media during the weekly Ford teleconference. “I think there’s two parts. There’s the human part that definitely thinks it’s kind of wild that I only get to drive four more races this year, and then there’s the competitor in me that thinks four races is a lot to make up some ground.”
Cindric’s last two races at Phoenix’s one-mile oval have gone poorly.
“I’ve lacked the ability to finish the race the last two times there, and I expect us to be able to do that this time,” he said. “It would be a shame if we DNF three races in a row in Phoenix.”
After being mired midpack for much of the season, Cindric said the racing at the front of the field where he has been during the Chase, is very different.
“It’s a lot different. I’d say this time of year maybe it’s not as different, but just given the guys that are up front are the guys that are racing for a championship and I feel like with this format the guys that have been racing for the championship are the guys pushing the hardest and honestly make just as many mistakes,” Cindric explained.
“So, I think that’s been interesting, but in the back and the midfield, yeah, it’s super volatile, not necessarily from drivers and how you race, but the opportunity to gain and lose spots is massive and the things that are in your control sometimes is a lot less, whereas the front of the pack is a bit more predictable in terms of restarts and calling race strategy.
“It is a massive challenge to be able to get yourself out of that range because they are very competitive cars and the driver talent is still exceptionally high, so it’s hard to differentiate yourself when there are so many factors that you have to be able to fight with having an equal amount of cars in front and behind. There’s a lot of opportunity to gain and lose.”
Cindric has learned the importance of preparation.
“For us, it’s validation of the processes that we do every week on the 2 team and the preparation,” Cindric said. “I think that’s what we all do throughout the week to get ready for these races and being able to show up and have competitive car speed and be able to leverage the things you need to prepare, I think the more that we as a group are able to stick to our keys and be able to do that, the job doesn’t change, obviously just the reward is higher.
“It’s been certainly satisfying, but, at the same time, it’s about having that consistent performance is where you want to be every week.”
