Cindric notches second Xfinity win in week
Austin Cindric raced to his second straight NASCAR Xfinity Series victory Saturday, holding off Christopher Bell at MidOhio Sports Car Course in Lexington.
The 20-year-old Cindric won for the first time in the series last week on the road course at Watkins Glen.
“To get my first two wins within a week is incredible,” he said. “To win on a road course like this obviously gives you a lot of confidence.”
Driving the Team Penske No. 22 Ford, Cindric finished 3.780 seconds ahead of Bell’s Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota.
A.J. Allmendinger, driving a Chevy for the northeast-Ohio based Kaulig Racing was third, 10.290 seconds behind.
Points leader Tyler Reddick of Richard Childress Racing was fourth. His lead is 28 points over Bell.
Bell was happy to have back-to-back road courses behind him while still being able to stay close to Reddick.
“Road-course racing is obviously not my strong suit,” Bell said. “To get out of here and maintain points is good for us.”
Cindric, the pole-sitter for a second straight year, took the lead from Chase Briscoe on Lap 63 in the second turn, with an outside move. Cindric led 47 of the 75 laps.
He is the son of Team Penske President Tim Cindric and the grandson of the former track owner, the late Jim Trueman, who was the car owner when Bobby Rahal won the 1986 Indianapolis 500.
NASCAR Trucks: Austin Hill won his second race of the year in the NASCAR Truck Series, holding off Sheldon Creed to win at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn.
The playoffs begin Thursday at Bristol Motor Speedway with Brett Moffitt, Grant Enfinger, Stewart Friesen, Ross Chastain, Hill, Necedah’s Johnny Sauter and Tyler Ankrum.
Creed and Tyler Dippel followed Hill, leaving them out of the eightdriver field .