Austin Cindric Steals a Win When Teammate Ryan Blaney Runs on Empty at World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway

MADISON, Ill.: For Ryan Blaney, there was nothing enjoyable about the Enjoy Illinois 300.

The defending NASCAR Cup champion led 17 of the final 19 laps before running out of fuel coming to the white flag.

After going 0-15 in 2024 following a three-win season last year, the loss left Blaney with a visceral reaction.

“I thought we did a good job all day doing what we needed to do,” Blaney said. “You drive your ass off to hold of the 20 (Christopher Bell) and think you did a good job and weathered the storm and then you run it out.

“It’s a kick in the nuts but you move on past it.”

Blaney’s teammate, Austin Cindric, scored his first win since his victory in the 2022 Daytona 500, breaking an 85-race drought. He qualified second, one position ahead of Blaney. The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford had led 51 laps prior to the final two en route to the checkered flag.

Certainly, the Penske strategy of breaking the 240-lap, 300 mile race into a three-pit-stop contest was going to provide Cindric, Blaney and Joey Logano with a solid result at the end of the race. All three drivers earned points in the first two stages.
Following the second stage, the Penske Fords remained on the track and lined up first, second and third for the final 90-lap run.

“We’ve got a great team of engineers that do a lot of research on what’s worked and what has not worked,” said Brian Wilson, Cindric’s crew chief. “We have a meeting on Wednesday where we all sit there and review the history. Then we also have a meeting in the morning where all the crew chiefs get together and talk about now that we’ve seen the tire fall-off from practice, we know what the history was, what we expect. It gives us an opportunity to talk about what we think we’re going to do throughout the day.

“We oftentimes will challenge each other, bounce ideas back and forth. Oftentimes we do come to the same answer like you saw today.”

But Wilson wasn’t expecting Blaney to go off script and pit on Lap 176. He thought the Penske cars would pit together. Cindric came in for service on the next lap and Logano was the last to pit on Lap 179.

“I would have preferred to pit the same lap as him (Blaney),” Wilson added. “They did a great job of disguising that. We felt that was going to be a half-second gain in lap time by pitting early. Felt like that was enough where we would come out even with him, like you saw.

“Honestly, it’s a situation where we would have liked to have been one lap early. We talk about all the communication, but a lot of times when it comes down to that, when you’re racing each other, it’s, hey, we’re still competing.”

Wilson said Blaney’s crew chief, Jonathan Hassler, made the call to come in a lap earlier. Whether the early stop affected the No. 12 Ford’s fuel mileage, Wilson wasn’t sure.
At World Wide Technology Raceway, four caution flags slowed the action during the final stage in the inaugural running of the race in 2022. Last year, six yellow flags flew following the end of Stage 2.

On Sunday, uncharacteristically, the race remained green until the finish. With 40 laps to go, only 16 cars remained on the lead lap. But as cars cycled out following pit stops, Christopher Bell, who won both stages and led a race-high 80 laps, regained the lead on Lap 178. He held the point until he pitted with 47 laps to go. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Larson each took turns at the front before exiting the track for service on Laps 210 and 217, respectively.

Their stops allowed Blaney to seize the point with 22 laps to go. A battle ensued between Blaney and Bell before an engine issue developed on the No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Bell was on a backward slide before Martin Truex Jr. came to his rescue and drafted his teammate to the finish.

Blaney took control on Lap 222. He appeared destined for his first win of the season until his tank ran dry. Blaney finished 24th, his first result outside of the top 10 at Gateway.

“It was a good day by our cars to run first, fifth and we were there in the top five,” Blaney said. “Proud of the effort, and I’m proud a Penske car won. I don’t think we were the fastest; Bell seemed like he shot out of a cannon. I don’t know where he came from, so battling him was tough.

“We had the thing in the bag. You don’t get competitive cars like that often, as far as leading laps and contending for wins. It just wasn’t meant to be today.

“Just proud of the whole Penske speed. We’ve done a good job here, it just sucks we don’t end up with a finish that we deserve.”

While Blaney pondered what could have been, Cindric had enough fuel left in the tank for a celebratory burnout.

“No team orders,” Walt Czarnecki, vice chairman of Penske Corporation said with a smile.

Follow Lee Spencer on Twitter @CandiceSpencer or email her at: [email protected].