BRISTOL, Tenn. — Austin Cindric did not get the finish he expected at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night, but he advanced to the Round of 12. This all boiled down to his team's preparation.
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"I think preparation and the process with our group is second to none," Cindric told FanBuzz as he sat on the pit road wall after the race. "And I take a lot of pride in that. So, yeah, just proud of the total team effort to be able to bring this into the next round."
Cindric entered the short track race with an 11-point cushion to the Round of 12 cutline. This did not provide a great deal of comfort considering the chaos that could unfold in Tennessee, but it kept the Team Penske driver from having to make desperate moves. He didn't have to win to advance.
Cindric had speed early in the race, but that would not be the defining factor. No, the teams that advanced in the playoffs did the best job adapting on the fly to the surprising tire wear that occurred after track temperatures dipped.
Cindric and the No. 2 team passed this test once it became evident early in the first stage that the tires would not last as they did during a hot practice session. The radios lit up with complaints of tires going down, but Cindric's team mostly remained calm and collected.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
Spotter Doug Campbell Jr., in particular, just calmly informed Cindric which drivers had tire issues as they worked through the opening stage. He added in comments about managing tires and avoiding getting baited by those who pushed hard.
The only time Cindric really spoke is during cautions as he provided updates about his car's handling and how long he felt he could go on each set of tires.
"I wouldn't necessarily say that we were prepared on the car side like we were expecting that to happen today," Cindric said, "but we had triggers that we were definitely keying off of with the chance of the cool temperatures.
"And I just chose to be prepared."
While Cindric didn't have the unexpected issues with his tires, he didn't have a perfect race. He fell to 12th by the end of the opening stage and missed out on some points. Although he rebounded with five extra points in stage 2.
Of course, the preparation went far beyond tire wear. Cindric's team had to know what to do in the event of an emergency. They had to know how to handle a sudden fire after de facto teammate Josh Berry saw the right front of his No. 21 Ford go up in flames.
Once Cindric learned about the fire in Berry's car, he immediately called upon his team to get ready.
"I was just wondering what the fire was for the 21," Cindric told crew chief Brian Wilson under caution. "If it's a bunch of rubber and sh*t, we gotta be prepared to clean that out at some point. Just food for thought for later."
Cindric's comments came true. A fire broke out under the No. 2 Ford on Lap 454. He had to immediately head down pit road. The team did not panic. Wilson calmly told the crew to get the tire off so the safety crew could extinguish the blaze.
Photo credit: Nigel Kinrade Photography
Once the tire change ended, Cindric headed back out onto the track with qualifying scuffs on. Campbell just went back to keeping his driver informed of the points battle with Alex Bowman for the final spot in the Round of 12.
Cindric ultimately ended the race in 30th after qualifying third and leading some laps, but he still advanced in the playoffs. His team knew how to handle multiple challenges, and they acted accordingly.
Now, he gets to continue his pursuit of a championship.
"Unfortunate what happened to the 21, but that definitely gave us a good indication on what we're going to need to do in that scenario," Cindric said. "So, just proud of the team."
