“I was terrible,” Cup series Rookie of the year Austin Cindric reveals his worst race of the season
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Austin Cindric
Austin Cindric earned the 2022 cup series rookie of the year award by winning the iconic Daytona 500. He became the first official race winner in the Next-Gen car era. With his impressive consistency, the No:2 Team Penske driver was able to lead his team to the playoff Round of 12.
A full-time debut is always the most formidable challenge for the rookie. Cindric was one of the year’s three rookies to make a full-time debut. Team Penske gave the rookie a car worthy of the championship, and he gave his best putting up a solid cup chase. Austin Cindric, in an interview with the RACER, revealed the most challenging race of his 2022 season.
The first race of the season at Phoenix was his most formidable one this year. He had an abysmal racing product after topping the practice and qualifying sessions. He said, “My best ‘welcome to the Cup Series’ moment had to be at Phoenix early in the year, somewhere I’ve had a good amount of success and feel pretty confident going to that racetrack. I led practice, made the final qualifying round, and ran 25th out of merit the whole day,”.
Phoenix was the first “humble pie” source for Cindric, as he had a poor run while his teammates dominated. He said, “I was terrible. I watched guys like Chase Briscoe, whom I felt I had at a place like Phoenix, win the race. I watched my teammates have a great day, and I sucked. That was a good source of humble pie,”.
Which veteran driver Austin Cindric wanted to race against in the cup while growing up?
Austin Cindric didn’t have a particular driver he grew up watching and wanted to race against in the cup series. He admitted that he was star-struck in 2021 when he made the cup debut. He added that he wants to be undeniably the best in the sport.
“This might be weird, but I’ve never watched racing and said, ‘man, I want to race against that guy.’ There is a lot I want to beat. But sharing the track with guys hit me last year with my first couple of Cup races. Being able to try and beat the best, undeniably the best, there is a challenge that I love,” Austin Cindric said.
When asked about the most remarkable thing about the cup series, the rookie pointed out the significance and competitiveness of the premier stock car racing series. He dreamed of this moment all his life, and now he can chase the glory he craves.
“There is no higher level than where we’re at; there is nothing more to get. There is nothing more significant than the Cup Series. What’s new for me? I’ve raced in IMSA, the top sports car racing in North America, but you spend your whole career trying to get to the top level and race against the best guys, and now I’m here. I’m doing that. You got what you asked for, so do something with it,” Austin Cindric added.
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Justin P Joy
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