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Austin Cindric was set to possibly change the playoff picture in a big way at Talladega before being caught up in the ‘Big One’ on Lap 183. After winning the second stage, he was in control of the race as the final five laps got underway. He had two Fords lined up directly behind him, hoping to lock himself into the Round of 8 with a victory. It was strong position for the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford.
Had he done it, fans would have seen a bit of déjà vu as he entered this race last among the remaining 12 playoff drivers — Sammy Smith was in an identical position during Saturday’s Xfinity race before capturing the checkered flag and vaulting himself into the Round of 8.
That same ending did not come to pass for Cindric, who instead found himself spinning in front of the field, becoming the epicenter for the biggest crash in NASCAR Cup Series history. Thankfully, no one went airborne, which NASCAR was hoping for after making three changes to keep cars on the ground ahead of the race weekend.
While NBC asserted that it was a record 28-car pileup, the official NASCAR results show 23 cars involved including, several playoff drivers. While damaged, most of the title challengers were able to continue. Seven cars were not able to continue, and among them were Cindric and his Penske teammate Joey Logano. Both leave this race below the playoff cut-line with Logano 13 points out and Cindric 29 points out.
“Obviously, incredibly frustrated,” Cindric said after being released from the infield care center. “We had a great shot to win the race and just really proud of my team … We got that stage win and put ourselves in position to have another shot.”
After seeing the replay of the bad bump that sent him spinning, Cindric decided to bite his tongue. “I don’t know. I don’t feel like complaining. I’m too pissed off and it won’t do anything. Just proud of the team. Brought some real fast race cars.”
The race featured intense four-wide racing with Cindric calling it “some of the craziest stuff I’ve ever been a part of.”
He credited his team for ‘A+ execution’ and bringing a fast car to the track, but in the end, luck simply wasn’t on his side. Now, his path forward in the playoffs is clear. “It puts us in a must-win situation for the Charlotte Road Course,” concluded Cindric. “We’ve brought some exceptionally fast race cars every single race of the playoffs and I cannot understate how proud I am of my race team and we’ll have to bring another one next week.”
A full list of cars involved in the wreck, per NASCAR: Nos. 45, 48, 34, 17, 9, 13, 2, 21, 22, 42, 14, 23, 10, 99, 51, 4, 38, 62, 71, 19, 16, 20, 43.