“That Tells You How Upset I Was”: Austin Cindric Details What Made Him Change His Approach After Atlanta Incident With Kyle Larson

Austin Cindric and Kyle Larson’s coming together was one of the highlights of last Sunday’s Ambetter Health 400 race at Atlanta Motor Speedway. While Larson generally maintained an apologetic stance, Cindric’s frustrations were quite visible, given his consecutive DNFs to start the season. Recently, he revealed his evolving stance on discussing track incidents more openly following the Atlanta event.

During a recent media interaction, Cindric expressed, “I felt like I could have said a lot more than I did.” The Team Penske racer, in typical fashion often exhibited by Larson, was ushered into the outside wall by a hard-defending Larson, which put an end to his race last weekend.

“I like to honestly keep that behind closed doors, so maybe if you felt like I spoke up, I felt like I was holding back, so that tells you how upset I was with the situation. It’s still something I’m relatively upset about and gets the blood pressure going a little bit, but that’s racing,” added the #2 Ford Mustang driver.

Cindric reflected on his recent on-track hardships and acknowledged the universal challenges drivers face in motorsports. He stated that he understood that he is not the only one who has missed out on seizing a race win or has had their chances spoiled by someone else’s actions.

But the sting due to these incidents is exacerbated by their occurrence in consecutive weeks, especially in NASCAR’s top tier where victories are not handed out freely; they are earned through continuous effort and strategic positioning.

When discussing his openness regarding on-track incidents, Cindric also conveyed a sense of restraint. He mused that his reserved comments about certain events might speak volumes about his feelings, hinting at the depth of his frustration without divulging explicit details. However, he did admit that it was he who didn’t want to open up about certain things.

Cindric reveals why he keeps to himself and does not stay in touch with other drivers

The #2 Team Penske driver candidly shared why he purposely doesn’t keep his competitors’ phone numbers, labeling social interactions with them off the track as a “competitive distraction.” He values maintaining a professional boundary, reserving his camaraderie for his teammates alone.

He stated that even during the driver introductions in the races, he keeps to himself, focused solely on the upcoming race. “That’s kind of the only thing that really matters to me because,” he asserted, explaining that compartmentalizing his relationships makes things less complicated. “If we’re just competitors, and that’s the only relationship that exists, I feel like that’s a lot simpler for me,” he remarked.

After consecutive crashes in the season’s opening races, the only thing that stands in favor of Austin Cindric is his position in the standings table — P4 on the points table. Yet, he will require heightened focus and performance at COTA and at subsequent races to maintain or improve his top-5 ranking in the driver standings.

About the author

Neha Dwivedi

Neha Dwivedi is an experienced NASCAR Journalist at The SportsRush, having penned over 5500 articles on the sport to date. She was a seasoned writer long before she got into the world of NASCAR. Although she loves to see Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch win the races, she equally supports the emerging talents in the CARS Late Model and ARCA Menards Series.. For her work in NASCAR she has earned accolades from journalists like Susan Wade of The Athletic, as well as NASCAR drivers including Thad Moffit and Corey Lajoie. Her favorite moment from NASCAR was witnessing Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr. win the championship trophies. Outside the racetrack world, Neha immerses herself in the literary world, exploring both fiction and non-fiction.

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