Team Penske NASCAR XFINITY Series Race Report
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Race: Sparks Energy 300
Date: April 28, 2018
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No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 11th
Stage 1: 15th
Stage 2: 15th
Finish: 30th
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 114/115
Laps Led: 0
Owner Point Standings (behind first): 3rd (-11)
Notes:
Austin Cindric looked to be in position to win his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race – and score $100,000 in the process as part of the four-driver Dash 4 Cash program – but his No. 22 Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Mustang ran out of fuel coming to the final restart to relegate him to a 30th-place finish in Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega Superspeedway.
Cindric qualified his No. 22 Mustang solidly in the 11th position in the Saturday morning time trial session and held steady inside the top 15 throughout the first, 25-lap stage of the race.
During the stage break, crew chief Brian Wilson made significant chassis adjustments to help his driver in the draft, specifically to assist him in using the draft to pull up to the rear of other competitors.
Cindric radioed that he was better in that area in the second, 25-lap stage but still needed more to move to the front. The young driver picked up another 15th-place stage finish in Stage 2.
Following a two-tire pit stop during the stage break, Cindric restarted from the 11th position before being hit from behind on lap 62 due to a chain reaction caused by another competitor pulling up in front of him.
The damage to the Ford was minor and the subsequent pit stop for repairs put the team on a different pit cycle than most of the field. After restarting from the 33rd position, Cindric made his way into second as the other teams made their final pit stops of the day.
Having already decided their strategy, Wilson and team were forced to try to make it to the end on the fuel in the tank. While attempting the final restart of the day, the leader ran out of fuel to give the lead to Cindric.
Only needing to make two laps to pick up the win, unfortunately Cindric also ran out of fuel just as the green flag fell. He had to limp his Ford around to the checkered to finish 30th.
Quote: “We were in position to get the Dash for Cash and maybe a win regardless of what happened to the 7. But hey, we were in contention. We got shoved off cycle there but it is something out of our control and that is what put us in that position anyway. We can’t hang out head too low, it is just one of those deals. I am excited for Dover, it is one of my favorite tracks and the Fitzgerald Glider Kits’ guys have a lot of confidence going there so maybe we can pull off a win there.”
