NASCAR CUP SERIES: JACK LINK'S 500

April 27, 2025

Austin Cindric

Press Conference

An Interview with:

THE MODERATOR: Congratulations, Austin.

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Thank you.

THE MODERATOR: Tell us about your race.

AUSTIN CINDRIC: We finally finished one of those, so that was cool. Just to be able to win at this track, win in the Cup Series, it's such a challenging thing to do.

Total team effort every step of the way for that final stage for us to be able to get that done. For that to go green at the end, have a car capable, a team capable, have it all come together, it's really gratifying.

It's definitely a relief given how a lot of these have gone. Doesn't make me any special or different. These things go up in flames for most. Super grateful for the opportunity to be able to come through and win.

THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions.

Q. Why are you still wearing that wreath?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: If you won the Talladega 500, they give you a wreath, wouldn't you wear it, too?

Q. Maybe for a little bit of time, but not sure.

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Your concept of 'a little bit of time' is different than mine. I'm going to try to walk on the plane with this thing (smiling).

Q. The last couple months have been a roller coaster for you. Daytona 500 another level. But where does this moment rank in your career, considering the last couple months?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Yeah, I mean, I think to your point, it's kind of been a roller coaster, kind of been one thing keeping us from excellence on a lot of weekends in a row.

I think there's a lot of different avenues you can take with it. One, what I started off with, how difficult it is to win in the Cup Series, be in the Playoffs. Two, how many of these races I feel like we would put ourselves in position in as a company, let alone just on the 2 car. All those stacked up together definitely have some emotions behind it when it's all over.

Even with the surprise, you don't know until you get to the last couple feet of these races. To win under green, do it all the right ways as a team at the end. I don't see a more complete team win at some of these racetracks than what we had today.

Q. Is it a weight off your shoulders, a relief? What is it like being able to put all the pieces together after how good you've been on drafting tracks this year?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: I don't believe in luck. I believe in the law of averages. My faith continues to be restored. Sometimes I have to have more patience in the law of averages.

You keep swinging the bat the right way, eventually you're going to hit a homer. Like I said before, the guys on the team, everybody knocked it out of the park there that final stage.

Q. You talk about believing in yourself. I hear the confidence in your voice after a win like this. You've had speed about everywhere this year. Does it feel like you and this team are finally starting to not just have flashes but get to a point where you can be frontrunners every single week?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: I think if you're not building, you're failing. For us, it's been a constant progression. I feel like you saw that in the Playoffs with this team.

There's not a single man on this team, on this 2 car, that I would change or swap out, think that somebody else could do a better job.

I think the belief is there. The process is there. The mentality is similar. We're all pushing in the right direction. The same direction.

I feel like a race like this just continues to solidify that for us. It's what makes going to work exciting for me. It's why I show up to the shop most days. It's why I put so much into it. I believe that's reciprocated from everybody from the top down on this 2 car.

Q. Some Toyota guys said the race-winning move was running seven laps longer than them, pitting late in the third stage. They viewed it as a reaction to what they did in stage two. Your thoughts on how you feel about that strategy, how it played out for you guys?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Yeah, I think that group did probably the most organized effort of kind of changing the way the race looked. I feel like it took a lot of guys off guard, took me a minute to really analyze where the strengths and weaknesses were going to be.

I feel like they probably don't have the best advantage on fuel mileage. I feel like they picked their speed up. I feel like they played their hand. The ability to counter it, right? They used a lot of fuel to lead a lot of laps. I think being able to counter that, not have a caution come out in the cycle, it's critical. The cautions are the wild card for all of it. To be able to have a clean cycle there, get through it.

I thought that they did a pretty standout job of being organized, probably better than we've seen at most of these races.

Q. Not just yourself, Ryan, Joey, a lot of near misses. What has the mood been like at Team Penske as these races have slipped away from you?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: I think a combination from encouragement to heads beating against the table, right? You kind of have four or five days to get over yourself, try not to let that bleed into each week.

Just being able to watch guys like Ryan and Joey, these guys are champions. They go through adversity just like the next guy. No different than how these races play out.

I guess misery loves company in some ways. I feel like Ryan has had his fair share of tough breaks so far this season. I know there's a lot of strength in our company. A win like this only helps the whole team be able to push forward in the same direction. No different than really the 21 car winning at Vegas this year. Now with us, I think a concentrated effort to get all our cars in the Playoff is first priority. I think this only helps concentrate that.

Q. What were your thoughts on the package overall, the ability to pass?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: I mean, the package itself hasn't changed. The tires themselves haven't changed. The track itself hasn't changed. The only thing in this Next Gen era that hasn't changed but a few bits and pieces.

From that standpoint, it is solely about the decisions of the drivers and the teams, being able to react to that. Whether that was easy or hard...

There were plenty of times today I was trapped in lanes I didn't want to be in. It's about understanding that, finding a way. If not, let others find a way and show you the way.

It's a very odd type of racing. It's very difficult to explain, especially now with all the dynamics that we have that aren't just about the racing, about the strategy, about the packages, about strengths and weaknesses as an OEM. There's a lot going on that I guess is hard to describe to someone that is just watching the TV screen.

Q. How much motivation, if any, does the 2 team take over the success of Ryan and Joey, then you guys not equaling it? Does that light a fire under you?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Yeah, I mean, I think certainly anytime you can have an example set and try at a bare minimum not just meet that example. I want to be better. I want to be the best, right? Just being as good in my mind, as farfetched as it might be as a two- three-year Cup driver to say I want to be better than the champion. That's how you have to think.

I commit way too much of my time. I ask a lot out of the people I work with. I try to reciprocate with that. The 'as good' is not good enough in my mind.

Is a motivator? Perhaps. I look at it as an example, as a competitive advantage for us to be able to have that type of example in-house.

Q. After the second stage on his radio, Joey was furious with you over the 23 winning the stage. After the race he was much calmer, glad to see one of us win it. How long does that stuff last between teammates? Does it ever have to be addressed in-house?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Yeah, I mean, I think the situation you described, I felt like I kind of just got pinched, was trying not to wreck the cars in front of me, including Joey. It was a messy end of the stage that I feel like between myself, the 21, Joey could have probably done better, we let one slip there.

I can understand his frustration without kind of seeing the whole picture. These are the types of things that when you're expecting someone to have your best interest, those are the challenges, right? We have a lot of meetings centered around that. I feel like it requires constant maintenance. It's not always pretty. The conversations aren't always easy.

I do feel like as a team we do it better than most. I think that's something we'll definitely be talking about tomorrow as far as how to do it better, understand all sides, be better for it.

Q. (No microphone.)

AUSTIN CINDRIC: I think that would be very immature (smiling). So no, I don't see him doing that. We'll see. I don't know if it will fit through the door or not, but we're going to try. That's right.

Q. How worried or concerned were you with the two Hendrick cars behind you? Did you feel like you were in a good place?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Yeah, I felt like the key to winning that race there for me, maybe not the key, but one of the keys, was the 60 car getting clear. I was in a position to where I don't think that I would have been able to expect a Hendrick car to push me past another Hendrick car for a win. Shoe's on the other foot, I don't see that happening for us, either.

Having that 60 car clear and basically having two Hendrick pushers, at that point those guys are selfishly trying to get points and push the line forward to where they can get clear. I thought that was pretty critical because I feel like those guys always find a way to the front together. They were definitely in a position to contribute for their own company.

Q. Penske organization as a whole has led so many laps. For Joey to be getting his first top 10, Ryan has had frustration, do you feel like the team is ultimately very strong and still the major contender that we think of it as? How important was this to get this win today?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: I mean, it's huge for us. Obviously a Playoff berth is worth its weight in gold.

As far as the team is concerned, I mean no offense with this, I feel like everyone in front of me worries a lot more about the stat board than we do. Performance metrics mean a lot more than if you check boxes on stats. Maybe some stats, average running position, laps led throughout the year.

I feel like as a company, we've been pretty strong at that, especially where we've been maybe at this point in the season in years past.

I feel like between especially Ryan, Joey, myself, Josh, I feel like we're bringing a lot of good things to the racetrack to continue to build towards the end of the season.

Q. You spoke about the mob mentality at these tracks, recognize it and react. What did you see in the mob that made you stand out and win?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Yeah, I mean, I think one of the details there was Toyotas having their own strategy and running hard. I feel like that played a pretty key role in the third stage in how that played out. Even throughout the race, trying to figure out how to counteract that, even just continuing to evolve how the cars drive.

When the third lane comes in, maybe you should use fuel or maybe not. Tendencies from other drivers throughout the race, handling tendencies from other drivers throughout the race.

There's a part of me that is glad that these races are this long because it gives you time to watch. I felt like the field was a lot more refined. I feel in stage one, everyone was a little confused. Even stage two. Stage three it was kind of go time, how do we maximize everybody putting their best foot forward. No different than most weeks in stage three. Everyone has made adjustments to the car. It's a lot harder to pass because of it. I think that's a lot of what played into today's race.

Q. What have you learned today that's going to help in the next races?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Yeah, I look at Talladega is in the Playoffs. It's a race that can change your season. It changed my season last year.

I think having a good notebook is important for when we come back here, but also go back to Daytona, continue to build on a package we ran this year at the 500, continue to grow the notebook.

I think that's one thing that has made our team stronger as we've gone on the 2 car, a lot of young guys with maybe a not a ton of firsthand experience. We're now starting to get that notebook, being able to bring things to the table, to the team that are impactful. Myself as a driver, as well.

I think those are the things you can take away from races like today.

Q. You talked about the defining moment being Ryan getting clear. We've heard others from behind talk about how difficult it was to pass, make moves. What was the challenge of being able to manage those runs from behind and prevent anybody from being able to generate a third lane or make a move?

AUSTIN CINDRIC: It's funny. You get to kind of those points in the race, you're actually relying on a lot more experience than you are kind of reacting to your surroundings because it's probably only 15 laps where we're running at that pace, understanding what's happening.

I feel like we've been in a position a lot of times. It's always different on how you have to manage it. But the information that I need, I continually get from my team as far as what I view as important. Those are all things that you just have to have in the moment. There's no time for me to ask questions. It's just about doing it from the word 'go' pretty much after you leave pit road.

Felt like I had all the information I needed to manage or not manage, depending on the scenario. It obviously worked in our favor.

Q. (No microphone.)

AUSTIN CINDRIC: I felt pretty confident it was between us. In a straight-up race, I've been in that position where I've gotten wrecked off the nose of another car. I was doing a lot of focusing on the horizon, which sounds funny, but that's what you do to try to hang onto the car.

I said earlier that I felt like Kyle took care of me and pushed me in the right places and neglected to push me into places that would maybe be irresponsible. I felt like I had the right person behind me to make the right moves at the end to bring it home.

THE MODERATOR: Austin, thanks for your time. Congratulations.

AUSTIN CINDRIC: Thank y'all. Appreciate it.