Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Series Race Report
Track: Daytona Road Course
Race: Super Start Batteries 188
Date: February 20, 2021
No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 2nd
Stage 1: 1st (First stage win of 2021)
Stage 2: 6th
Finish: 2nd
Status: Running
Laps Completed: 56/56
Laps Led: 29
Point Standings (ahead of second): 1st (+24)
Notes:
- Austin Cindric had an impressive recovery Saturday night at the Daytona Road Course. The driver of No. 22 PPG Ford Mustang won Stage 1, led 29 laps, and finished second. The finish was Cindric’s second top-five finish in as many races at the 14-turn Road Course. He extends his points lead over second place Harrison Burton by 24 markers.
- Cindric started the 52-lap/188-mile event from the second position and wasted no time taking an early lead. As the race continued, the handling of the PPG Ford began to fade and Cindric lost the lead to AJ Allmendinger.
- As the two road course aces battled for the stage win, Allmendinger and Cindric made contact coming to the finish line causing extensive right front damage on the PPG Ford Mustang, however he managed to hold on for the Stage 1 victory. Crew chief Brian Wilson called Cindric down pit road during the stage break for adjustments and repairs.
- Cindric started Stage 2 in the 34th-position and put his road course skills to work. Despite nose damage, Cindric ran laps faster than the leaders and battled his way back to sixth position by the stage conclusion on lap 30.
- Cindric started the final stage from the fourth position on lap 35 and reclaimed the lead a lap later. He would then get into a spirited battle with Ty Gibbs for the race lead late. A caution fell with three-laps remaining, setting up NASCAR Overtime.
- Cindric would make his final pit stop on lap 50 for four tires and an air pressure adjustment. After restarting 11th, the caution would be displayed for the final time setting up for a second overtime attempt. Cindric gave it his all over the last three laps but came up just short to finish in second place.The NASCAR Xfinity Series is back in action at Homestead-Miami Speedway Saturday, February 27th, for the Contender Boats 250. Live coverage will begin at 4:30 p.m. ET on FS1. MRN and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio.
Quote: “It’s obviously a great start to the season big picture-wise. I wish we would have been able to do a little bit more tonight. If that caution hadn’t come out, but it’s the what-ifs of racing. Those restarts were crazy. I hope everyone else enjoyed it because that was stressful and that was challenging, but, overall, it’s a great way to start the year. I wish we would have been able to get our PPG Ford Mustang in victory lane, but it was not in the cards on those restarts. We salvaged a great day.”
