Accepting failures graciously and then moving past them can take a lot of effort. But the Team Penske star, Austin Cindric, Cindric chose to open up and accept the reality of his playoff demise. The No. 2 Ford Mustang Dark Horse driver shared the real reason behind why he stands eliminated even after putting up a good race at the Roval. As Cindric shared details, the spotlight turned toward how things could have been different. 

The tale of two Tracks

Although the Charlotte Roval has been a source of disappointment for many, it was not the primary reason behind Team Penske’s failures this time. Austin Cindric refuted claims that the Roval was the main cause of their downfall. Cindric detailed the struggles the team faced, which ultimately led to their playoff elimination. Notably, during the Bank of America Roval, Cindric finished fourth, securing a top-five spot. However, luck was not on his side this time.

The scorecards did not look good for Cindric – all thanks to the previous races at Kansas and Talladega. The Kansas Speedway, during the first 80 laps did scream that the control was in Cindric’s hands. Starting from the 17th position, Cindric soon drove to the 7th position. However, things went topsy-turvy when it was time for the first stage break. As Cindric made his way to the pit stop for fresh tires, a loose wheel was detected which led to his position being scrapped off the tracks. Later, Cindric momentarily recovered to 13th, but his progress was short-lived. With nine laps left in Stage 2, he lost control, collided with Kyle Busch, and hit the inside wall, sustaining significant front-end damage. After pit repairs, Cindric finished 34th.

On the following weekend, Cindric faced another major setback. At the Talladega Superspeedway, notorious for its treacherous track, the infamous “Big One” occurred. Cindric had secured strong finishes at the end of both Stage 1 and Stage 2 and was leading the inside row. With only five laps remaining, Cindric took the lead, and his hopes soared. However, misfortune struck. Logano bumped Keselowski, triggering an unforeseen push that entangled Cindric. The No. 2 Ford driver was swept into a massive 28-car multi-wreck. What began as a controlled race ended with Cindric finishing 32nd, 29 points below the cutline.

The detrimental scorecards had left only one option for the Team Penske star to make it to the top 8 – winning the Bank of America Roval. Leaving the playoff fate hanging by a thread, Penske did try to put up a good race at the Roval. In a post-race interview with NASCAR radio, Cindric analyzed his situation, saying,” I feel like the last two weeks have hurt a lot more than this race. We had a great day, we scored points in both stages finished in the top 5, and had one of our best events. But when you put yourself that far behind at Kansas and then get wrecked out of the lead at Talladega. I mean even if Talladega was one of those two races that did not happen the way it did you know. We might be having a different discussion, you know. So like I said, just proud of the team to bring out the best, proud of the effort to bring our best the day we needed it. But today our best wasn’t the best so we’ll keep working”.

Unable to win, #2 did not make it to the championship. Cindric stood at a total of 2172 points after the Roval race. However, the Roger Penske team still has glimmering threads of hope.

Will Team Penske get to cherish the NASCAR Cup Series title?

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Roger Penske’s team has faced several setbacks. However, this does not signify a complete loss of hope. Although Cindric stands eliminated, the team still has Blaney and Logano driving toward the final finish line. Logano secured a wild card entry after Alex Bowman was disqualified following a post-race inspection, due to weight issues with his car. Logano finished eighth and currently has 3044 points. And Ryan Blaney, the celebrated Penske star, is battling alongside Logano for the top spot.

Ryan Blaney made it to the 10th at the Charlotte Roval and entered his way into the Top 8 finalists. All set for Vegas, Blaney mentioned after the Roval race, “I am proud of the effort of all the 12 boys to come out here and forget last week and focus on this week which mattered. I feel like we are in a pretty decent spot”.  

However, Blaney’s journey hasn’t been smooth. At Talladega Superspeedway, he crashed out in Stage 2 after Bowman’s push sent him into the SAFER barrier. Currently fifth with 4019 points, Blaney faces a critical three-week stretch. Can the 2023 Cup Series champion repeat history and claim the title again?