Team Penske driver Austin Cindric said NASCAR’s recent burst of short tracks in the 2026 schedule has helped the team gain momentum. Cindric is coming off a third-place run at Richmond Raceway last Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Penske teammate Joey Logano went on to win for the second time in 2026, with both his victories coming on short tracks.
It has been no secret that the Penske cars have struggled on the intermediate tracks this season. Despite that, Cindric, Logano, and Ryan Blaney have shown that short tracks are their strength.
Cindric on Penske’s NASCAR uptick: ‘Finally back to short tracks’
During an interview with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Cindric said Penske’s upward trajectory in recent weeks has been simple.
They are back at short tracks.
“It’s short tracks. We finally got back to short tracks. If you look at the schedule, middle of the summer we had a lot of road courses, a lot of intermediates. I know that’s not the storyline that maybe people want to tell, but I feel like we really have been strong at the short tracks,” Cindric said.
When looking back at Phoenix or Martinsville earlier this season, Cindric said there have not been a ton of rule changes made to the short-track package. Because of this, the Penske camp have been able to follow the same notebook.
That has played a huge role in their surge through the last few races.
“We’re all confident in our notebooks. The drivers are excited about it. You can just feel the momentum and just a mentality kinda change knowing that we’re going to places where we feel good about things,” Cindric said.
Although the Penske trio has seen an uptick in performance, Cindric knows there are still things to work on.
The biggest improvement Cindric wants to see is their pace on the intermediate tracks. As The Chase nears, Cindric said Team Penske will prioritize gaining ground on the field at the intermediates.
“I feel like we’ve got to focus on that. Once we get into the playoffs [The Chase], we gotta make sure we’re making gains there,” Cindric said.
Cindric holds comfortable cushion over Chase cut line after Richmond
Entering last Saturday’s Cook Out 400 at Richmond Raceway, Cindric sat 16th in the points standings, the last driver above The Chase cutoff. The driver of the No. 2 held a 29-point advantage over 17th-place Ryan Preece ahead of the 400-lap event.
With a strong third-place finish, the three-time Cup Series winner leapt to 15th in the points standings, passing Shane van Gisbergen for the spot. With two races remaining until The Chase, Cindric now holds a 57-point edge over the cut line.
Cindric’s third-place result was his best finish since winning last year’s spring Talladega race. With another short track ahead followed by Daytona, a place Cindric has won at, the momentum is in his favor.
Cindric is in his fifth full-time season of Cup Series racing. He has scored all three of his Cup victories driving with Team Penske, including the 2022 Daytona 500.
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