Cindric steamrolls to 1st Xfinity title
22-year-old wins after pitting for new tires and dropping to 3rd before OT
Austin Cindric charged on fresh tires to his first NASCAR championship with a gutsy overtime drive Saturday to win the Xfinity Series finale at Phoenix Raceway.
Cindric was already headed toward the win when title-favorite Chase Briscoe spun with six laps remaining. It brought out a caution that forced Cindric and Team Penske into a bold race-deciding strategy call.
Cindric handed Justin Allgaier the lead by pitting from the lead for new tires. Cindric dropped to third for the two-lap overtime shootout.
“You’d think I’d be nervous this entire weekend, but given how important this race was for me and my team I was happy to be here, happy to be racing for a championship and that mentality has paid off,” Cindric said. “I’ve been points racing for the last six weeks and I got to drive my ( butt) off for one day.”
Allgaier had taken new tires on the previous pit stop and he restarted as the leader. He chose the top lane and Cindric chose to start up there, too, right behind Allgaier.
Cindric had to wrestle with Noah Gragson, Allgaier’s JR Motorsports teammate, for position before he got his shot at Allgaier. Gragson moved to the lead then Cindric bounced off Allgaier as the two took the white flag.
Cindric cleared Allgaier and, even though he didn’t have to win, he chased down Briscoe for extra measure. It was Cindric’s sixth win of the season but first of what had been an underwhelming playoffs.
Cindric led 72 laps and was in control until Briscoe’s spin. His win gave Team Penske one championship on the weekend with a shot for one more. Brad Keselowski and Joey Logano race in the Cup final four on Sunday.
Cindric celebrated by standing atop his Ford boldly waving the championship banner. The 22-year-old is not moving up to Cup next season because of Penske’s long-term planning. He’ll run a handful of Cup races, compete for a second Xfinity Series title, and move to Wood Brothers Racing to drive the No. 21 in Cup in 2022.
Cindric was the Xfinity Series regular-season champion but Briscoe took control of the title race behind a series-high nine wins this season. He had a good car early but faded and finished ninth.
Allgaier, trying to win his first championship, faded to fifth in overtime. Justin Haley finished eighth. It moved Briscoe to fourth among the championship contenders.
Allgaier led a race-high 76 laps. He pitted for new tires that time while Cindric stayed on the track. Allgaier was not able to chase down Cindric for the lead in overtime.