DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – You don’t have to remind Team Penske’s Austin Cindric that he hasn’t won a race in the NASCAR Xfinity Series.
Cindric, the son of Team Penske president Tim Cindric has been close to stamping his name into the Team Penske record books – but for one reason or another – Victory Lane has eluded the 20-year-old sophomore driver.
But – as the Xfinity Series returns to Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway for Friday night’s Circle K Firecracker 250, Cindric is considered a sleeper for the win which would build on his team’s consistency nearing the halfway point of their 33-race schedule.
Since ISM (Ariz.) Raceway in March, Cindric hasn’t finished worse than 11th which includes a fifth-place finish at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in April. On Friday night, Cindric would like to answer his critics with a win and continue to build his Playoff empire behind the wheel of the No. 22 Ford Mustang.
“Someone has to be the fourth guy to get to Homestead,” Cindric said Thursday afternoon at Daytona. “It’s a long season though. There’s a long way to go. It has ebbs and flows as far as performance. There are some areas where I feel like we’re playing some catch-up but at the same time
“I feel like we’re one of the most consistent teams in the garage area and it shows with where we are in points and shows with how many stages points we’ve gotten. At the same time, I want to win. I want to be contending for wins every weekend like the three guys ahead of us.”
Cindric returns to Daytona for his 50th career Xfinity Series start – a year after being in contention for the win but found himself flipping late in the race and a 33rd place finish.
So far in the two superspeedway races this season, Cindric has delivered two top-five finishes at Daytona and Talladega respectively, but the former ARCA Menards Series winner is hopefully he avoids carnage this weekend and hopes his big track luck hasn’t run out.
“Not crash,” offered Cindric of his hopes for the weekend. “Not getting left-reared. That’s what I’m worried about. I feel like my luck might be running out, No, we’ve been good on the superspeedways this year. I’ve felt like our cars have been predictable and really racy.
“I’ve been able to push myself and push other guys to get where I need to be. I hope the racing will be more Talladega-esque than it was in February. I feel like after practice it will be because I don’t think too many cars were struggling as much on handling as they were back in February where I thought that’s why we lined up near the fence. You never know.
“You get the fastest car up front and maybe that will happen again, but I feel confident that we’ll put on a good show.”
Whether Daytona ends up in Victory Lane or on his roof, Cindric knows the next two months will be crucial for his Team Penske team. With an array of speedways, road courses and short tracks on deck, plus the informational tool of Cup Series driver Joey Logano being able to bring feedback to the team, Cindric is hopeful for the summer stretch.
“I think there’s a little more on my end to figure out, a little more on the cars to figure out,” Cindric explained. “It was great to have Joey (Logano) in the 12 car as a gage for me and understand what we need to do better and what we’re doing right. Every time that car runs for the rest of the year, I think it’s going to be useful for us.”
“I think it’s a great opportunity for us to get some Playoff points,” he said of the approaching road races. “It’s no stranger that’s my background and that’s where this team has been the strongest year after year. At the same time, you can’t take it for granted. I mean there’s a lot of regular seasons guys that put a lot of work into making that a strength.
“I’m not taking it for granted, but at the same time you have to capitalize on races and race weekends like that – just like any other weekend.”
Friday’s race will see Orlando-based Pirtek jump onboard the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Friday night’s 100-lap race.
A longtime supporter of his, Daytona offers an opportunity to pay them back for sticking with him.
“There’s on a race for a primary for one race this year and that’s Daytona. They are based out of Orlando area and it’s a huge event for those guys. We’re going to have a lot of people from Pirtek coming out and excited about this race.
“This is a home race for them, under the lights, Fourth of July weekend. Those guys have been a supporter of mine for a really long time, my ARCA car, my Trucks, Xfinity cars between both teams (Roush and Team Penske), they’ve been committed to me and it’s a legitimate sponsor and I love were able to apply it here in their home area for sure.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
