Daytona 500 Winner Austin Cindric Admits to the Fear of Spinning Out by Bubba Wallace in the Final Moments of the Race

The Daytona 500 really did deliver on all fronts. It was a race in which the lead consistently swapped hands, with drivers pushing the new car to its limit, with drivers wrecking other drivers, and of course, with a photo finish in which Austin Cindric took the checkered flag by a mere 0.036 seconds, the Daytona 500 had it all.

However, during the final seconds of the race, things could’ve gone completely opposite for the rookie winner. This is because, in second place, Bubba Wallace was doing his all to push Cindric to come out in front.

If there’s anything we’ve learned about these new Next Gen cars, it is that they’re very prone to spinning out whenever they’re pushed from the back.

This is something Austin Cindric also spoke about in a recent interview. “We spent the entire off-season developing this car, understanding what it’s gonna take, (and) until you put it in a race scenario, you’re not gonna know whether it’s gonna take,” he said.

Cindric continued, “These cars, they’re not stable when you’re pushing each other. But you have to push to get forward. I didn’t wanna throw a block that was going to spin me out.”

“I’d rather have door-to-door contact. It at least gives me a chance to save the car.”

Austin Cindric believes few drivers get second chances in NASCAR

Cindric, who ran a few races in 2021 with Team Penske, immediately clarified that he was cut for the Cup. And once the opportunity came at his door, his path was set.

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The 23-year-old believes that driving in the Cup, in NASCAR, is the kind of opportunity that doesn’t present itself more than once in most cases.

“I think when it comes to this sport, I think obviously this is the biggest stage in American motorsports, but I don’t think you get a second chance to make a NASCAR career work,” Cindric said.

“There are very few people that have been able to do that.” 

Regardless, it’s pretty clear that Austin Cindric won’t be needing the second chance.

He is a Daytona 500 winner at 23, the biggest rising star among the young guns.

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