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USA Today via Reuters

USA Today via Reuters

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series, Austin Cindric once again showed why he is the defending champion. He romped to victory at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. Meanwhile, AJ Allmendinger and Justin Haley had to settle for taking points and trying to close the gap on Cindric.

Cindric bided his time and eventually struck at the start of the third stage. From there, he simply rabbited away from his opposition, and romped to a fifth win of the season. In the process, he finished 2.108 seconds ahead of Allmendinger. It also wrapped up a great day in the office for Team Penske, as Will Power won the IndyCar race earlier.

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“I can’t even begin to put into words what it means to win at Indianapolis,” Cindric said. “It’s a racer’s dream, man. It’s not the win. It’s getting here, being able to compete and the guys here know what that means. I think they did a great job with the track. I thought it was pretty self-policing and I think that’s what they were aiming for.”

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Austin Cindric was absolutely thrilled to win

As is the custom with every Indianapolis winner, Cindric kissed the iconic bricks on the track. Now, Cindric will have a shot at handing Team Penske a clean sweep during the Brickyard 200. This will be be his final Cup start in 2021 before his full-time debut in the #2 Ford next year.

USA Today via Reuters

The defending champion managed to escape most of the carnage from second on the grid. Without a doubt, several of his opponents drove frantically and erratically. Justin Haley defeated Riley Herbst to clinch the first stage, while Allmendinger won the second stage under caution. Once the third and final stage kicked off, Austin Cindric knew that the gloves were well and truly off and the defending champion showed why he’s a cut above the rest.

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READ MORE: How Did Austin Cindric Land a Seat at Team Penske and Replace Brad Keselowski?