Cindric’s path to making the Daytona 500 starts during pole night qualifying on Feb. 10 and continues during the Bluegreen Vacations Duels on Feb. 11.
While he knows the logic behind both of those scenarios, Cindric said a driver “can’t really plan” to rely on one way or the other to guarantee their Daytona 500 starting spot.
He does, however, hope to work with one of his Team Penske teammates – Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney – or Penske-affiliated driver Matt DiBenedetto when it comes time for his Duel.
“I think anyone who makes plans at superspeedways do it because they’re nervous, because there’s no way to prepare for these races. There’s no way to prepare for those scenarios,” Cindric explained. “Qualifying is significantly important for both of our opportunities to make it into the race, but also where we start in the Duels. I think we’ll play it as it goes. I’d be extremely unlucky if I didn’t have a Penske-affiliated car with me in the Duels, so that would be nice to have and nice to have teammates. If I get in the race, hopefully, I can help those guys get stage points and try and fight for a race win and get a Penske car and a Ford into victory lane for the Daytona 500.
“There’s a lot of work to still do, but there are definitely a lot of different scenarios and a lot of things you have to prepare for and sometimes it will come down to the small details,” Cindric added. “Hopefully, it doesn’t have to come down to missing big wrecks and the things you’re accustomed to seeing in speedway racing, but you definitely have to be prepared for that.”
Though a specific schedule hasn’t been officially announced yet, Cindric plans to contest several NASCAR Cup Series events later in the year with Team Penske beyond his Daytona 500 attempt.
That means that he doesn’t view the possibility of missing the field for The Great American Race as a make-or-break moment for his limited Cup Series schedule. In Cindric’s eyes, it’s all about learning.
“I think I’ve come to peace with the reality of it. I think our sponsors also understand that it’s a pretty big challenge to try and do this, so I don’t feel pressure,” said Cindric, who will defend his championship this year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series as well. “I don’t think it’s out of the realm of disappointment. We’ll be disappointed if we don’t qualify our way in, for sure, but I’ll be at peace with it.
“I’ve also got a job to do on Saturday, so that’s where our season starts and that’s where my number one priority is. I’ll know that before I even sit in my Xfinity car,” he continued. “It’s definitely a different position than I’m used to, but I look forward to the idea of doing double duty and, hopefully, being able to learn as much as I can and apply it for years to come.”
Practice for the Daytona 500 begins at noon ET on Feb. 10. The race goes green at 2:30 p.m. ET Feb. 14.