Winning the Daytona 500 is considered to be one of the greatest feats in American motorsports, something that every driver chases but few get to achieve in their career. Fewer people can call themselves multi-time winners of The Great American Race. So when Austin Cindric was wrecked out from a potentially winning position on the final lap by Corey LaJoie, the Team Penske star was not a happy man.
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Speaking to the media from the in-field care center, the driver of the #2 expressed his frustrations with the Spire Motorsports racer. Cindric won The Great American Race in 2022 against all odds, and he had an opportunity to do the same again this year. But Ford’s weekend, which was initially looking good, ended up being a bust as the two Hendrick Motorsports Chevys finished in P1 and P2, making it a stellar finish for the team.
Austin Cindric thinks other drivers would’ve handled the situation betterADVERTISEMENT
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Before the white flag fell, it seemed like William Byron would be in a last-lap fight with Cindric for the win. Fans might have been hoping for a photo finish with a Ford and a Chevy, but thanks to a poor push by LaJoie, the race ended under caution, and the #24 won The Great American Race. Corey LaJoie ended up finishing P4 while the #2 managed P22 and the latter’s driver did not hold back while talking about his Chevy counterpart.
“I mean Corey finished fourth, so congrats. He tried to fit a car where there wasn’t a car and just continued to push through my left rear until I wrecked. I understand trying to chuck me out or put up an opportunity cause I wasn’t probably in the best spot possible coming to the white but yeah, I’m in the care center and I don’t even know where I finished. Really sucks but that’s racing,” he said in an interview with Frontstretch.
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The 25-year-old Team Penske star had victory on his mind, with only a couple of laps to go. He could see the white flag waving to signal the final lap when Corey LaJoei’s push spun both him and Trackhouse Racing’s Ross Chastain around, ruining their races completely. Speaking about the final moments of the race, Austin Cindric said that the other drivers would have done a better job of it.
“Once you get that few laps left in the race, it’s gridlock, so you’re pretty much just doing your best to push. My job the whole rest of that race was to push the #24 as best that I could till I could get clear and we got to that point once the outside lane broke apart. Had a great opportunity…honestly there are 39 other cars that probably would have taken care of the situation a little better,” he added.
As far as LaJoie was concerned, a top-five finish in the Daytona 500 is a fantastic start to the Cup Series season for a driver who has never won a race in NASCAR’s highest division.
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Spire Motorsports star reveals “great experience” of running near the frontADVERTISEMENT
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Speaking of his performance at The Great American Race, the driver of the #7 car Corey LaJoie said that he gained a lot of valuable experience running nearer the front of the pack and leading lanes. It’s something the 32-year-old has not done a lot of in his career and this experience will come in handy later on as the season progresses.
“I got a lot of great experience leading the lanes, controlling them. Kyle Busch pulled a about 140 race and IQ-move on me out of Turn 2 and jumped to the top. He was kind of baiting me to the top and filled the middle. So, I learned something there, you know, and it’s just a little bit of stacking pennies, one at a time. Every time we come, I get a little better, a little more comfortable in this. Top-five is really good,” the Spire Motorsports star said as per Kickin’ The Tires.
USA Today via Reuters
There may be a brewing rivalry between Cindric and LaJoie, which might reach its boiling point later on in the season if they tangle more throughout the year. It will certainly be an interesting feud to watch, especially with the Team Penske star having a sour taste in his mouth as he left Daytona.
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Source : EssentiallySports