HAMPTON, Ga: Austin Cindric’s first career NASCAR Cup Series win came in the most dramatic and historic ways – a victory in the 2022 Daytona 500. Last week the driver of the Team Penske’s No. 2 Ford was again at the front of the field in the Daytona. He’s led laps in six of his eight starts on the big track. And Cindric’s 59 laps led last week was the most of any driver, yet he was collected in an accident in the closing laps and rallied to an eighth place.
This weekend’s race at Atlanta Motor Speedway is considered a smaller drafting track but still along the lines of Daytona and the 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. And Cindric’s performance on these kind of tracks was publicly praised this week by fellow competitor, three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin – a pat-on-the-back not so common in the sport.
“For me, it is a very high compliment,” Cindric said. “It is not often times you get to earn the respect but also hear the level of respect your competitors have for you. As superspeedway racing goes, Denny has been one of the best for the last couple of decades. For him to have a high opinion like that is pretty cool. I think that is what made the end of the race significant and special to me.”
Cindric said his work – and success on the big track – is something he takes pride in. And he answered his good work at Daytona with a front row qualifying spot for Sunday’s race at Atlanta.
“Anything you work hard at, you certainly want to see the progress whether it is from your competitors, from within yourself or from your own team,” Cindric said. “I can remember the first two Truck races I did on superspeedways. I hated it! I hated it because I didn’t understand it. When we did the first race here, after they re-paved it, I hated it. But that is because I didn’t understand it.
“Now I feel like I look forward to it. That is a huge evolution. That is not just allowing it to happen and understanding that you have to get better to enjoy it. I only have fun if I am out there trying to be successful. If there is an impact on others out there around me, either positive or negative, so be it, but it is a challenging thing to make progress at a level this high.”
Source: Holly Cain | NASCAR Wire Service
