NASCAR
Austin Cindric Wins Daytona 500 on Team-Owner Roger Penske’s 85th Birthday
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – “I’m surrounded by great people,” Austin Cindric said after winning the Daytona 500. “That’s all there is to it. I know there’s going to be highs and lows, being a rookie in a field of drivers this strong. I’m just grateful for the opportunity, excited to climb the mountain we’ve got ahead of us on the 2 team.”
In only his eighth career start, Austin Cindric is a Daytona 500 Champion. The rookie now in Team Penske’s flagship No. 2 Mustang put The Captain back in Daytona winner’s circle on his 85th birthday. This win also locks the 23-year-old into his first Cup Series Playoffs.
The first half of this year’s Daytona 500 flew by, with both Stages being won by Martin Truex, Jr. The only major incident was a large crash at the end of Stage 1. A big push from Brad Keselowski sent rookie Harrison Burton around and the 21 went airborne. Also collected here were three-time Daytona 500 winner Denny Hamlin, William Byron, and Ross Chastain. Thankfully the Wood Brothers rookie was okay after the first airborne crash in a Next Gen car.
In the closing laps, a bad push from Kyle Larson sent Kevin Harvick around, collecting several others. A quick incident afterwards put this Daytona 500 into an overtime finish. Austin Cindric held the lead ahead of teammate Ryan Blaney.
Austin Cindric would be able to hold off all charges in overtime, beating Bubba Wallace to the checkers. After coming a corner shy of back-to-back Xfinity championships last fall, Cindric is now a Daytona 500 winner.
The 2 car was within a mile of Daytona 500 victory last year. Now with a rookie, this same car gets the Harley J. Earl Trophy. To add onto the specialty, the win came on Roger Penske’s birthday. The next-generation driver at Team Penske won the first race of NASCAR’s Next Gen era.
Top 10 finishers from the Daytona 500 were Cindric, Wallace, Chase Briscoe, Ryan Blaney, Aric Almirola, Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, David Ragan, Brad Keselowski, and Chase Elliott. Keselowski would have to settle for ninth after leading a race-high 67 laps. See reactions from some of the top finishers below.
Cindric on Cloud Nine
“Oh, my God,” Cindric said. “Do you know what makes it all better? A packed house. A packed house at the Daytona 500.
Oh, my God. I’ve got so many people to thank. First and foremost Roger Penske, happy birthday. Oh, my gosh. Appreciate Ryan being a great teammate. Obviously he wants to win this one, but I’m so pumped for Discount Tire, Menards, Ford. Everybody works so hard with this Next-Gen car, through this whole process, and damn, I am so excited.”
Race two of the NASCAR Cup Series season is next Sunday from Auto Club Speedway. The Wise Power 400 will go green at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. This will mark the first event in two years at the southern California track.
Written by Peter Stratta
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Photo Credit to Chris Graythen/Getty Images for NASCAR
