Austin Cindric Needs 2017 Playoff Magic After First Lap Accident at Kansas

In 2017 Austin Cindric made the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Championship Four despite many writing him off. Cindric has now made the Round of Eight but in the first race of that round, Cindric was involved in the first lap accident alongside other playoff drivers putting him in a pretty deep hole headed to Texas.

“Well, now I have to go figure out how to win one of the next two races," said Cindric in the team release. "Three of the strongest cars were just taken out on the first lap. I feel like we had a chance to win the race today. I was really proud of what the Penske guys brought me this weekend, but that is racing. I think this hurts me a lot more than it hurts the 20 and the 7 because they had a huge points cushion and I didn’t. It is that simple. I have to win one of the next two races but we have a pretty good notebook since the 22 car won both Texas and Phoenix in the spring. I have a lot of confidence going into those races.”

As noted by Cindric, the No. 22 car won both ISM Raceway and Texas races earlier this season with Brad Keselowski at Pheonix and Ryan Blaney at Texas. Cindric is going to have to win one of these next two races if he wants to compete for the championship at Homestead, something Cindric did in the Camping World Truck Series last season.

Cindric is going to need that magic to reappear. Give-or-take, Cindric didn't finish outside the top 10 the entire second round of those playoffs but two of the upcoming tracks for Cindric have been strong for him in his career. Cindric finished second at Texas last November in the Truck Series which propelled him into a good position as the series headed to Texas. At Texas earlier this year Cindric was behind the wheel of the No. 12 for Team Penske where he finished ninth.

Cindric has rebounded multiple times this season after a rough weekend, most recently finishing ninth at Las Vegas after finishing 34th at Indianapolis. In the season opener at Daytona, Cindric finished 40th and then backed it up with a seventh-place finish at Atlanta. He's finished inside the top-ten, after finishing outside the top-25, five times this season which could be good news in these final two races before Homestead. (Koelle,2018)

Photo Credit: Christian Koelle/CCK Photography