“Racing for God Knows What”- NASCAR Veteran Calls Out Roger Penske’s Star & Noah Gragson’s Blatant Cup Drivers Disregard

The Nashville race probably witnessed the most anti-climactic end in 2024. The originally mandated 300 laps wildly extended to 31 more – as caution flags fell like droplets of rain. But right at the cusp of the 300th lap, one incident occurred which paved the way for the chaotic overtimes.

Noah Gragson tussled with Roger Penske’s driver in this melee. Although they battled back in the rear, their feud impacted racers in the front row. The leaders gasped for breath and fuel and ultimately gave way to one of Penske’s drivers again. One spotter fumed at this turnout, as he recently shared his opinion.

NASCAR insider bashes Roger Penske’s driver and his rival

With seven laps to go, Denny Hamlin engaged in a heated battle with Ross Chastain at Nashville Superspeedway. Kyle Larson and Chase Briscoe were also close on their heels, and all expected to finish in the top five. But with two laps remaining, Roger Penske’s driver Austin Cindric and Noah Gragson collided. That is where the entire pandemonium kicked off, and the race leaders fell, one by one.

On a recent episode of ‘Door Bumper Clear’, Bubba Wallace’s spotter, Freddie Kraft broached the topic. He was visibly frustrated at Roger Penske’s Gateway winner as he explained the chaotic situation: “The caution that came out for Austin Cindric sounded like him and Noah were running into each other back there racing for god knows what, probably 30th. That brings out the yellow…we were all already pushing the fuel windows. We had to pit on that first caution ’cause we were gonna run out at the checkered flag essentially.”

Then Kraft launched into a diatribe against Roger Penske’s underperforming driver and his SHR rival. “Cindric and Gragson, whatever the hell they’re doing back there…you’ve got so many guys running the top five at that point. Ty Gibbs gets wrecked, Denny’s gotta pit for fuel, Ross gets wrecked…all these guys that were in the top five were gonna have good days. Their days are ruined now because these idiots in the back are running over each other and have no regard for anybody else on the racetrack.”

Even Bubba Wallace looked primed for a win, or at least a top-five finish. Kraft said, “We were really in a prime position, I thought, maybe win the race even.” However, the innumerable cautions jumbled up the race strategy and Wallace could only secure a 7th-place finish. Eventually, Roger Penske got the upper hand – Cindric’s teammate Joey Logano was the last man standing on fuel and won the race.

Besides the general frustration, Austin Cindric’s spin can also have great ramifications for the playoff scenario.

The winner category looks jittery

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Initially at Nashville Superspeedway, Austin Cindric scored some support among the fans. NASCAR bizarrely handed him a penalty for apparently parking his ride too close to cooler fans. But as the race unfolded, Roger Penske’s driver drummed up a lot of flak. Cindric spun off the first overtime restart, spoiling the race leaders’ plans. Joey Logano became the 11th different winner this season, and this could pan out badly for other winners.

With seven races left, there can still be more winners than the 16 playoff positions. If that happens, then single-race winners may find themselves off the playoff grid. And Austin Cindric has the highest chance of that, being the lowest in point standings among race winners. Daniel Suarez comes immediately above, with 16 points more than Cindric. Even though such a scenario has not unfolded in the past ten seasons, Roger Penske’s driver has enough reason to be worried.

Hence, although NASCAR is bashing Cindric and Gragson for ruining some drivers’ Nashville hopes, they already have a lot on their plate to worry about.