Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Race: Ag-Pro 300
Date: April 24, 2021
No. 22 Snap-on Tools Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 1st
Stage 1: 4th
Stage 2: 3rd
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 90/90
Laps Led: 24
Driver Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+59)
Notes:
- Austin Cindric started from the pole and finished second in a rain-shortened Ag-Pro 300 at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday afternoon in the No. 22 Snap-on Tools Ford Mustang. Cindric showed great speed throughout the race, leading 24 of the 90 laps while fending multi-car teams throughout the event.
- After starting from the pole, Cindric ran inside the top-five through Stage 1, finishing in the fourth position when the stage concluded at lap 20. On the first pit stop, crew chief Brian Wilson adjusted on the Snap-on Tools Mustang, taking rounds out of the left and right side, while changing two left-side tires.
- In the second stage, Cindric continued to lead the field, working to hold off the multi-car teams of JR Motorsports and Joe Gibbs Racing. Cindric would finish Stage 2 in the third position, reporting the Snap-on Tools Mustang got tighter over the course of the run. On the stop, the team changed right side tires and made a slight air pressure adjustment.
- Cindric quickly grabbed the lead at the start of the final stage and led the field until green flag pit stops at lap 69, where the team stopped for fuel only in the No. 22 Snap-on Tools Mustang. A caution flag at lap 75 would bunch the field up with 38 scheduled laps remaining with Cindric restarting in the second position. The race was slowed again at lap 84 with a multi-vehicle incident on the backstretch with Cindric still in the second position.
- Unfortunately, heavy rain would move over the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway under the caution, halting the race with 90-laps complete while Cindric was scored in the second position. The finish was the sixth top-five and seventh top-10 result for the No. 22 Ford team through the first eight races of their 2021 NASCAR XFINITY Series title defense.
Quote: “We obviously led a lot of laps and were just able to get hooked up with our Ford teammates there. That was the most fun I’ve had in a while and really proud of Riley and Ryan. We’ve done a lot of work over the last couple weeks after Daytona to try and get better together and that’s hard when you’re not working on the same race team, so props to those guys, props to Ford Performance for giving us a platform for that. Our Snap-On Tools Ford Mustang was really fast, but the rain came at the wrong time — maybe a lap too soon, I don’t know. Jeb has done a good job here in the past, so congrats to him. It’s always cool to get your first.”
