Team Penske NASCAR Cup Series Race Recap
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race: Coca-Cola 600
Date: May 29, 2022
No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric
Start: 6th
Race Finish: 34th
Stage 1 Finish: 19th
Stage 2 Finish: 34th
Stage 3 Finish: 34th
Laps Led: 0
Point Standings: 19th (-195)
Race Rundown: Austin Cindric started sixth and finished 34th after cutting a left-rear tire. The extensive damage forced the No. 2 Menards/Cardell Cabinetry team to retire early from Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The NASCAR Cup Series rookie fought handling challenges throughout the first 100 lap stage but the Menards/Cardell Cabinetry team continued to adjust Cindric’s Mustang. On lap 64 Cindric had to make a return trip down pit lane after a stop to ensure the right front tire was securely fastened and restarted the event from the 30th position. He fought his way forward to finish the first stage 19th. Cindric started the second stage 17th and was back inside the top-10th by lap 130. Unfortunately, on lap 146 the left rear tire blew and contact with the wall was unavoidable. The damage was too extensive to repair, and the No. 2 team was forced to retire from the race early.
Cindric’s Thoughts: “We cut a left-rear tire down right on corner entry. There was absolutely no warning and unfortunately that was the lap I decided to run the bottom, so a long distance to the wall and a pretty hard hit. We had a really really fast Menards/Cardell Ford Mustang. I was having fun. We had a fast car and fast cars usually climb up through the field running the top and running the bottom. It’s just unfortunate.”
No. 12 Advance Auto Parts Ford Mustang – Ryan Blaney
Start: 11th
Race Finish: 29th
Stage 1 Finish: 6th
Stage 2 Finish: 28th
Stage 3 Finish: 29th
Laps Led: 2
Point Standings: 4th (-53)
Race Rundown: Ryan Blaney started 11th and finished 29th in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 12 BODYARMOR Ford Mustang. In the opening stage, Blaney struggled with a tight condition and early in the race took a setback with a pit road speeding penalty. Despite the penalty, Blaney drove back inside the top-10 by the end of the opening 100-lap stage, finishing sixth. In the third stage, Blaney was collected in a multi-vehicle incident which forced the No. 12 BODYARMOR team to retire from the event at lap 195.
Blaney’s Thoughts: “I was tucked up tight behind the 8 and he was kind of lower than I thought on the frontstretch and kind of ran through the turf, and then got to one and jerked right and I think he was up behind the 99 and thinking he was going to hit the apron and I didn’t have time to kind of get right and I just kind of hit the apron and got me loose. I hate that other cars got torn up. I just didn’t really know where I was at being close to him and you kind of see that sometimes. I just hate that it tore us up”
No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang – Joey Logano
Start: 23rd
Race Finish: 20th
Stage 1 Finish:13th
Stage 2 Finish: 6th
Stage 3 Finish: 6th
Laps Led: 9
Point Standings: 6th (-66)
Race Rundown: Joey Logano started 23rd and finished 20th in the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang in Sunday night’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway after a late race crash in the first of two attempts at an overtime finish. In the opening stage, Logano struggled with a lack of entry security while being tight through the center of the turns, ultimately finishing 13th in the first 100-laps. Logano would rally during the second stage to grab a top-10 finish, crossing the line in the sixth position. The Shell-Pennzoil team would elect to stay out after the conclusion of Stage 2 and restart as the leader for the third 100-lap stage. Through the third stage, Logano was able to maintain in the top-10, reporting he needed just a little more overall security in clean air for the run to the finish. In the final stage, Logano used the adjustments received all night to race inside the top-10, racing as high as fourth place within the last 50 laps of the race. A caution flag with two laps remaining brought Logano back to pit road for two-tires. On the first attempt at a green-white-checkered finish Logano was collected in a multi-vehicle incident, ending a promising day for the driver of the No. 22 Shell-Pennzoil Mustang.
Logano’s Thoughts: “Hate to finish a race that way. That was a hard hit there. My Shell-Pennzoil team fought all day, kept making the car better throughout the race and we put ourselves in position for a top-five finish at the end and then just got collected there.”
