NASCAR
Austin Cindric Takes Another Superspeedway, Wins Big at Talladega
UPDATE: Ryan Preece and Joey Logano have both been disqualified for rear spoiler issues in post-race technical inspection. The top-10 results below reflect the new official results.
TALLADEGA, Ala. – Penske power reigns supreme once again at Talladega Superspeedway. Drafting ace Austin Cindric is victorious in the Jack Links 500, after not having any fellow Fords around him in the closing laps. The No. 2 Ford Mustang is a Playoff lock after their third Cup checkered flag. This all comes even with Cindric only leading seven laps all day.
Despite bumper-to-bumper four-wide racing, there were no accidents in the early laps. Three prerace favorites ran into issues under green flag pit stops, however, late in Stage 1. Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch made contact, also taking out Ryan Blaney as an innocent bystander.
On the next restart, the front row duo of Christopher Bell and Chris Buescher both made heavy wall contact out of turn two. Bell was sent sliding following a badly-timed bump from Denny Hamlin. After seeing attrition-filled closing laps, Stage 1 went to Kyle Larson, his first checkered flag of any kind at Talladega.
Stage 2’s win would likewise go to Bubba Wallace after an entirely clean and green run. Other Toyota drivers opted to short pit Stage 2, allowing them to cycle up front to start the final segment. Ty Gibbs spent a decent amount of time leading, further elevating team 54 in recent weeks.
Following everyone’s final trip down pit road, William Byron was in command with teammate help behind him. Byron dueling against leading Ford Austin Cindric allowed Ryan Preece to get position late over the 24. This blue oval duo side-drafted for the entire final lap, with Cindric getting the upper hand by about three feet at the finish line. The Penske driver is Playoff-bound after a third-career win and first Talladega triumph.
“I’m just so proud of this team,” Cindric said. “I mean, from the cycles to the fast cars to the fuel-only stops, Doug (Randolph) my spotter, everybody. I’ve been trying for probably three or four years now to get a Cup win for John Menard and Menards. That bright yellow car looks great up front. I’m just so thankful for everyone’s support. Ford Performance, Roush-Yates Engines at these type of racetracks are second-to-none. We talk about it in every single one of those meetings, why we haven’t won one of these races. Just really proud of the effort and thankful for Discount Tire, Snap-On, Autotrader, Roger Penske, everybody that makes this possible for me.”
“It definitely wasn’t easy, I give a lot of credit to Kyle (Larson). He did a lot to take care of me. Pushing me at the right times in the trioval. As mad as I was at him after Atlanta, I feel like we’re good now.”
“To have a photo finish, to be able to get into the Playoffs in front of this amazing crowd on a beautiful day in Alabama is great.”
Behind Cindric with a career-best finish superspeedway in second was Kyle Larson. He was just ahead of Hendrick teammate William Byron, Noah Gragson, and Chase Elliott. The rest of the top-10 were: Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman, Bubba Wallace, Daniel Suarez, and Austin Dillon.
Cindric is now the sixth driver locked into the 2025 Playoffs thanks to a win. Team Penske will try and keep the good times rolling at Texas Motor Speedway. The Würth 400 goes green Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.
Written by Peter Stratta
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