With Roval knocking at the door, the restructuring of the Charlotte Motor Speedway turned into a hot topic of debate. With some hue and cry about the changes, drama and chaos came to the cutoff race in Charlotte. It is anticipated that these new changes on the track can lead to unexpected twists and turns on Sunday. Among the ones fighting for a spot is Austin Cindric.

Cindric had previously missed a win at the Talladega Superspeedway after he became the central character in the historic Big One. He was in the lead and only 5 laps away when the misfortune struck him! Will such an incident carve his fortune again? As other drivers approach the changed Charlotte Speedway with caution, Austin Cindric has something different in mind.

Austin Cindric recounts on Turns at Charlotte Speedway

Cup series drivers now need to adjust to new changes at the Charlotte Motor Speedway. The track, which is already popular for its sharp turns and angles, has now become more difficult. One of the pivotal changes is the longer straight between Turn 5 and Turn 6. This change has led to a right-hand bend. How does it impact the drivers? It can completely compromise viability and drivers will not be able to anticipate the turn unless they reach the exact point. The reconfiguration of Turn 6 led to the creation of a hairpin bend at Turn 7. 

Such is the alignment that it might just send drivers into wrecks. While most drivers voiced their concern about the possibility of crashes, Austin Cindric has a different perspective on things. He is among the drivers who simply cannot afford a miss at the speedway. Sitting 29 points below the cutoff line, winning at the Charlotte Motor Speedway seems like a long shot. Coupling Cindric’s past performance with the new updates on the track, winning seems to be a herculean feat to achieve. Austin Cindric has been racing at the Speedway for 4 years now, and yet he has not been able to manage a win at any of them. However, he did show skills during the Xfinity Series at the same speedway. All four times, he has completed the race in 3rd, 3rd, 6th and 4th positions. His exuberant confidence and optimistic approach to the track can be a game changer. It’s this confidence that he carries into the cutoff race. 

In an interview with Frontstretch, Cindric said “I mean I hated the old turn 8 like cause I was just terrible in it, so it was like the bane of my existence every lap here. I enjoy it…kind of like the downhill section in turn 6 and I always like elevation change. I always feel like that kind of highlights some of what they have here. The hairpins are kind of here or there. It’s going to create some areas of optimism for racing but otherwise, it’s just a bit different”. The pre-existing Turn 8 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway had a banking angle of 24 degrees which made it complex and prone to accidents. The only way to get a good momentum at this Turn was by managing a good exit at Turn 7 which seemed daunting given the blind entry. Turn 6 which previously had a banking downhill has now undergone a major change. While it seems like the turn is lost, it is actually in the form of backstretch chicane.

NASCAR will not be making drivers go for a blind run directly on Sunday as the drivers did go for a practice session. Explaining the changes in the Turns, Austin said, “Yeah I mean anytime you sharpen up the angle, of the turn you are going to have a sharper angle of approach for the car and it is a lot more perpendicular to hitting the first curb there in the front Chicane and yeah definitely doesn’t feel great. Especially on race pressures, but there is a lot of time in doing it so the car is rigid and it’s kind of a risk you have to take”.

The front stretch Chicane is supposed to be a slower curb and can help the drivers pick up speed. Steering through this Chicane tactfully can be a challenge, as any miscalculation in speed can completely mess up the game. The Turn 7 hairpin bend is also in a blind spot and can throw drivers off track if they are at too much speed. With changes as massive as these, how are drivers coping and how is NASCAR ensuring safety?

NASCAR quells concerns of dive bombing

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The Sunday race anticipates shocker moves and drivers performing their best to make it to the top. Cindric being in such a high-pressure spot disclosed his strategy. He said,” Just win the race…all I got to do tomorrow.” With no cushion points left and an excessively unique trackway, the Charlotte Motor Speedway will not make it easier for Cindric. A single wrong move or speed calculation can make any driver lose complete control. The ‘Big One’ at Talladega was enough evidence of that.

Thus, drivers remained cautious when it came to racing at the Charlotte Speedway. Most prominently, Denny Hamlin came out voicing concern about the possibility of incidents at Turn 7. He says, “They make corners sharper and tighter, it was tight in Turn 7, anyway. But now they made it to a point. So instead of you driving the normal line to make this corner, that is tighter than the Coliseum, they made it a point. They want you to drive straight in the corner, I believe, and wipe out whoever’s in front of you. And then it’s going to be a parking lot in Turn 7.” 

Any dive-bomb on the inside at Turn 7 can easily wipe out multiple cars and create a big blockade for those at the back. So far, NASCAR’s solution has been to institute time penalties for corner-cutting. Any car that has all four tires outside of the red-white track limits line gets a time penalty. So far it seemed to work as the Xfinity race saw a couple of incidents penalized. The question is, will these changes be enough for the Cup Series race?