The final stage of the Daytona 500 on Sunday was a wreck-fest. Drivers were pushing and shoving each other every inch of the way to gain an advantage. Principles and ethics were far out the window. But Austin Cindric was different. The Team Penske driver earned the respect and admiration of Denny Hamlin for his clean performance and heightened mental stature.
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The day pitted Cindric and Hamlin against each other in the final lap. The former took the white flag in the lead and cruised forward towards what would have been his second Daytona 500 win. But tragedy hit when Hamlin attempted a move to get to his outside. Contact was made in the front of the pack, and they all lost control.
William Byron took the chance and passed the crowd to take the checkered flag. Cindric was relegated to an eighth-place finish after leading 59 laps throughout the race and Hamlin to 24th. Speaking on Actions Detrimental after the events of the weekend, the Joe Gibbs Racing veteran couldn’t help but shower praise on Cindric and his racecraft.
He said, “Let’s speak realistically. Is this probably one of Cindric’s best chances to win this year? Yeah. But do you see him making erratic crazy blocks? No! It’s because he understands… I think that’s why I said on this podcast last week if I didn’t win, who I think was gonna win? Austin Cindric. You can see that he is on another level mentally.”
He continued to note that he felt very confident in racing against Cindric in the final lap. It wasn’t because he knew he would be able to defeat him, but because he knew he would at least get a fair race no matter what. For a driver with relatively few years of experience in the Cup Series, to show such maturity on the race track is hugely admirable.
Cindric was left disappointed after the final lap of the Daytona 500
Cindric was a dominant driver throughout the week. He impressed in the Speedweeks and qualified to start the race on the front row. He also won the second Daytona Duel. The driver finished Stage 1 in 24th place but bounced back soon after. He moved up the order to finish Stage 2 in second place.
After starting the final stage in third place, he became the leader following the caution that came out in Lap 161. He remained in the front of the pack over the last 10 laps. However, fate ruled him out of victory and gifted Byron instead. To see glory from so close and lose was understandably a big disappointment for the 26-year-old.
He told the press, “Frustration. You’re taking the white as the leader. I felt like I executed all the restarts the right way and really that whole third stage. I didn’t get wrecked out of the lead this time, so that was cool, but it still doesn’t make it feel any better.” Attention now shifts to the Atlanta Motor Speedway for the second race of the season.
