As the NASCAR Chase for the Cup continues, Austin Cindric can gain ground if he stays consistent in one key category.
While Chase Briscoe dominated every stage at Las Vegas, Cindric took fourth, continuing his massive turnaround at NASCAR’s 1.5-mile intermediate tracks. For Cindric, Las Vegas marked his second consecutive top-five finish at the intermediates, following a second-place finish at Kansas.
That said, Cindric still has an average finish of just 14.7 at the intermediates, thanks to his rough outings in the first five races. Cindric took 19th at the first Las Vegas race, 12th at the first Kansas race, 15th at Texas, 38th at Charlotte, and 13th at Chicagoland. Counting the second Kansas race, that gave him an average finish of 16.5 coming into last Sunday’s race.
Take out that second Kansas race, and Cindric’s average finish at the 1.5-mile intermediates clocks in with a meager 19.4. Take the average of the second Kansas race, the second Las Vegas race, and combine them, and Cindric’s average finish is a sparkling 3.0.
Austin Cindric Can Keep Building Momentum At Charlotte
With NASCAR moving away from the Charlotte Roval in favor of the traditional fall race, Cindric has more momentum coming into this event than most drivers.
Kansas marked the breakthrough for Cindric. Per Dustin Albino of NASCAR.com, “The No. 2 Ford was planted inside the top five for the duration of the race, finishing the race with a 3.39 average running position, Cindric’s best in 181 career Cup Series starts.”
That “3.39 average running position” tells it all about Cindric’s turning point. And to stick around the top five for the entire race? That will go down as one of the most dominant performances of the season, even if Cindric didn’t drive away with the win.
Then Las Vegas happened, and it proved Cindric’s showing at Kansas was no fluke. Logic says that one outlying race doesn’t hold water. Outliers occur all the time in sports, so Las Vegas gave Cindric a chance to show he could repeat his stellar performance at the 1.5-mile tracks.
Cindric more than responded with his fourth-place finish. He started the race in seventh and led 33 laps. Only race winner Chase Briscoe (175) and Denny Hamlin (39) led more laps than Cindric.
Charlotte Gives Cindric Yet Another Challenge
Cindric has more than shown his fortunes have changed at the 1.5-mile intermediates, but there is also the fact that he took 38th at Charlotte earlier in the season after starting eighth. Cindric’s day ended early when he spun in Turn 2 and couldn’t avoid an incoming Connor Zilisch.
Still, it’s easy to chalk up the Coca-Cola 600 as a down-on-his-luck moment. But the second Charlotte race also gives Cindric another chance to further the No. 2 team’s turnaround immediately after snagging top-5 finishes at Kansas and Las Vegas.
Cindric went from zero top-10, let alone top-5, finishes at the 1.5-mile intermediates and a 19.4 average finish before his spectacular performances at Kansas and Las Vegas. Another top-5 finish at another 1.5-mile track can further Cindric’s momentum as the Chase wears on. He will be one to watch when the green flag waves at Charlotte on Sunday.
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