NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2020
MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY
FORD PERFORMANCE DRIVER – POST RACE QUOTES
FORD FINISHING RESULTS:
7th — Chase Briscoe
10th — Austin Cindric
AUSTIN CINDRIC, No. 22 Pirtek Ford Mustang — “Our goal for the entire day was to leave here with smiles on our faces going to Phoenix and to be able to do that is a big box checked. I know our guys worked really hard on our Pirtek Ford Mustang in anticipation of this race — a lot of blind decisions having to be made with the race car and how we come here. To lead laps early shows that we were prepared and from there we lost a little bit of track position. Other guys were able to take advantage of tire strategy and from there I just played really conservative with my lane choice on restarts and just being able to make sure we could keep all the fenders on it. It’s so frustrating to race that way. I feel like I’ve had to race that way the entire playoffs and that’s obviously not my style, so I’m excited to go to Phoenix, have some fun, and race for a championship.”
HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT YOUR CHANCES AT PHOENIX? “I feel like raw speed-wise I think we’ll be good. It’s just about understanding where the racetrack is gonna be up high and up low and trying to understand what our race car needs to do that. We got caught off-guard with how our race car drove the last time we were there as it moved up and I feel like we have to be a bit aggressive heading into that race setup-wise trying to figure out what’s best. I’m looking forward to that challenge and if we’re there, we’ve got a shot. This series has been crazy all year and it’s been fun to be a part of, and it’s great to have a shot at the championship.”
AUSTIN CINDRIC POST-RACE ZOOM TRANSCRIPT
HOW ARE YOU FEELING ABOUT MAKING THE CHAMPIONSHIP 4? “I’m happy. This is what we worked the whole year for — a lot of boxes checked for us today. I feel like we’ve had to points race the entire playoffs and it’s been really annoying and we’ve brought some really fast race cars to the racetrack the last couple weeks. I feel like my guys did an incredible job coming to a racetrack with no notebook and basing it off of, whether it’s the Ford simulator or past notes from the Cup guys, so really proud of that effort. A lot of work was put in to do that on my end as well as the team’s end, so for us to unload like that and be able to lead the first bit of that stage felt nice, felt rewarding, and then from there lost a little bit of track position, wasn’t on the right side of the stage flips and from there I pretty much picked the bottom lane on every restart to just be conservative. I feel like that really hurt me on track position today, so I don’t know if we got to see the full potential of our Pirtek Ford Mustang today, but overall really proud of the effort. It’s a year’s worth of work and go try and make the most of it next week.”
HOW VALIDATING DOES THIS FEEL? “It’s a year’s worth of work and I think the team of guys that I’m around, the driver that I’ve become the last three years, I think it’s a championship effort. Obviously, Team Penske is a place that expects to win championships, so for us to be in that fight is important and it’s what we expect out of ourselves. It’s what I expect out of myself. I definitely probably had the most roundabout way as far as what I’ve driven in my career and how I’ve learned how to drive race cars, and that’s made me different and that’s gotten me opportunities and that’s gotten me the opportunity to make the final four in trucks and have a shot at the championship there and now in the Xfinity Series. It’s been a lot of fun. It’s a lot of hard work and that’s gotta continue the next couple days. I know my guys are gonna be busting their butts back at the shop to give me the best opportunity to try and have a championship.”
YOU RAN FOR BRAD KESELOWSKI IN THE TRUCKS AND HE’S HAD A LOT OF FORMER DRIVERS MOVE ON AND DO WELL. WHAT DOES HE DO FOR YOUNG DRIVERS? “The first thing you want as a driver is an opportunity and my first NASCAR opportunity came at this track because of Brad Keselowski. When Austin Theriault had has back injury in Vegas in 2015 they needed a driver for the 29 truck. I had done one ARCA race at that point. Granted, that ARCA race went very well, but I’d done one ARCA race at that point. It was Brad’s idea. Brad wanted me in the truck and I started from not having a clue where anything was my first laps of practice to running in the top five at the end of the truck race, and that’s obviously grown into a lot of different opportunities. Brad has believed in me. Brad has believed in Chase. Between Brad and Ford Performance, I feel like Chase and I wouldn’t be in the position we’re in right now, so very appreciative of that and obviously that was some conversation, I don’t know if it was this week or last as far as all his drivers having an opportunity to move into the Cup Series and I think that’s validation in itself. I think the numbers show. I can take myself out of the equation and be impressed by that. It’s a great group of people. I keep in touch with the folks that worked at BKR. That was a special place for a while.”
DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE TO WIN AT PHOENIX TO WIN THE TITLE? “I think we have to go there prepared to have to win the race. I feel like that’s what I expect out of my competitors. It’s what I expect out of Allgaier. That’s what I expect out of Haley. That’s what I expect out of Briscoe. I expect those guys to try to win the race next week, so for us to be able to win a championship we’re gonna have to do that. Mentality-wise, I don’t know where we’re gonna line up as far as metrics go, but I’ll try and run as many qualifying laps as possible until that doesn’t work and try and figure out what the next move is. I’m excited for it. It’s a fun racetrack. It’s a very dynamic racetrack. Now we’ve got the PJ1 on the track, so a lot of changing factors and it feels like forever ago we were racing there, so we’ll try and put our best foot forward.”
