Cindric appreciating high praise of his superspeedway prowess
Yesterday at 06:51 PM
Austin Cindric had a different week compared to some others after the Daytona 500 as one of those who wasn't criticized for the moves he made. He actually received praise.
One of the most notable comments came from Denny Hamlin, a three-time Daytona 500 winner. Hamlin went in-depth about the Daytona 500, its finish, and holding drivers accountable for causing wrecks during his podcast this week. While doing so, he mentioned how well the Team Penske driver races and his complimented his decision-making.
"It's why, in my opinion, one of the greatest superspeedway drivers we've got is Austin Cindric," Hamlin said.
Cindric and Hamlin were the two drivers controlling the lanes at the end of the Daytona 500, all without incident. Hamlin's compliment was rooted in Cindric not making bad blocks, and what goes a long way in earning respect with someone like the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran is a driver having a “live to fight another lap” mentality. Cindric does.
"It's a very high compliment," Cindric said Saturday of Hamlin's comments. "Not do you get to earn the respect but also hear the level of respect that your competitors have for you. As far as superspeedway racing goes, Denny has been one of the best for the last couple of decades, and for him to have a high opinion like that is pretty cool.
"That's what made the end of the race significant and special for me — at the time and in reflection — is knowing that I was going to have to out-duel him if I wanted to win the Daytona 500."
Cindric lost the lead to Hamlin off Turn 2 on the final lap. Shortly thereafter, before Cindric could mount a challenge on Hamlin, the final crash of the night broke out, eliminating not only those two but others.
A victory would have been Cindric’s second in the Daytona 500. His record at superspeedway tracks doesn't look impressive on paper, given the results, but those numbers fail to show how often he's been in the mix. One week ago, he led the most laps in the Daytona 500.
Across the three drafting-style racetracks (Daytona, Atlanta, Talladega), Cindric has led 329 laps, but his Daytona 500 victory is the only triumph he's had on those tracks.
Sunday, Cindric is expected to be in contention again. He qualified second at Atlanta Motor Speedway – a week after qualifying second at Daytona.
"I think I could plead the fifth and just tell you that I have a fast race car every time because I do," Cindric said of his superspeedway performances. "But I think all of them are different, and I think if you expect yourself to contend every time we go to a drafting track, I feel like you have to prepare. The process that I've kind of refined for myself over the years in my prep work is pretty solid. I don't know if it is the best or not — hard to say — but I put a lot of work in, and usually those are the tracks that require that type of work."
