Tim Cindric opens up on Austin’s Daytona 500 win and Blaney’s frustration

Austin’s Daytona victory, which he achieved on team founder Roger Penske’s 85th birthday, cemented his place in the end-of-season Playoffs at the earliest opportunity.

His father says the #2 car’s maiden success in the 500 was significant in many ways for the team, since Brad Keselowski left the outfit for an owner/driver role at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.

“The #2 car has never won the Daytona 500,” said Cindric, who was speaking at the St Petersburg IndyCar event to Autosport and Associated Press. “And there are people who’ve been there since the beginning of the #2, they don’t travel to the track, they’re at the shop, and a few of them have told us they’re going to retire this year, so for them to have a Daytona 500 win in their last year is pretty cool.

“[Crew chief] Jeremy Bullins and those guys had opportunities to go do other things, and I guess they were rewarded for their loyalty with a Daytona 500 win. It takes the pressure off in some ways, and Austin says the real season starts now.”

The victory also means Penske has won both races with NASCAR’s new Next Gen car so far.

“This team takes a lot of pride in when something’s new, who succeeds first,” said Cindric. “Eventually, everybody gets to the same point, so from a team morale perspective, it’s been a great start.”

Austin Cindric, Team Penske, Ford Mustang, Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing, Toyota Camry, Chase Briscoe, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang, Harrison Burton, Wood Brothers Racing, Ford Mustang, Aric Almirola, Stewart-Haas Racing, Ford Mustang, Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry

Photo by: Nigel Kinrade / NKP / Motorsport Images

Austin won the race after throwing a hard block on Penske team-mate Ryan Blaney on the run to the finish line,