News

Track:   Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Race:     Boyd Gaming 300
Date:     March 2, 2019

No. 22 MoneyLion Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric 

Start: 5th
Stage 1: 8th
Stage 2: 12th
Finish: 22nd
Status: Accident
Laps Completed: 206/213
Laps Led: 1
Driver Point Standings (behind first): 11th (-45)

Notes: 

• Austin Cindric was sidelined by an accident six laps from the conclusion of the Boyd Gaming 300 Saturday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, leaving the young driver with a disappointing 22nd-place finish. The driver of the No. 22 MonneyLion Ford Mustang was involved in an accident triggered when Tyler Reddick spun between Turns 3 and 4 while battling Kyle Busch for the win. The No. 22 Mustang was damaged as cars scattered in the aftermath of the accident.
• A persistent morning rain canceled qualifying, forcing NASCAR officials to set the starting lineup per the rule book, giving Cindric the fifth-place starting position. The Las Vegas race was the second event of the 2019 season where qualifying has been rained out.
• Early in the race Cindric flexed the muscle of the MoneyLion Ford Mustang, grabbing the lead from Cole Custer on lap 9 before running among the top-five. But his No. 22 Ford became too tight over the longer run, causing him fade to an eighth-place finish when Stage 1 concluded on lap 45.
• In Stage 2, Cindric was battling for seventh position when the car he was racing for position broke loose to his inside.  The two cars made contact and Cindric spun but excellent car-control by the young driver kept his damage to a minimum. Cindric pitted on lap 60 for repairs and four tires and restarted 20th when the race went green on lap 63. He steadily worked his way through the field and finished 12th when the segment concluded lap 90. He pitted during the stage caution and crew chief Brian Wilson made adjustments to aid the tight-handling condition of the MoneyLion Ford. He restarted 11th when the final stage began on lap 97.
• The 20-year-old driver worked his way up to ninth-place where he ran until making a scheduled four-tire stop under green on lap 147. A caution on lap 190 allowed Cindric to take the wave around and rejoin the lead lap cars. He caught a break on lap 200 when the caution waved before the leader crossed the start-finish line to end the race. Brian Wilson called Cindric to pit road for four fresh tires and to make a final adjustment for overtime. 
• The green flag waved on lap 205 and immediately the cars jockeyed for position on the restart. One lap later Reddick would get loose while battling Kyle Busch for the win setting off a chain reaction that the young driver couldn’t avoid. The damage was too extensive to continue to the end, leaving Cindric with a 22nd-place finish in the final rundown.
• Cindric sits 11th in driver points, 45 markers behind leader, Christopher Bell.

 
Quote: 

“Taking the lead in the beginning of the race was really cool, and getting the MoneyLion Mustang up front for the second time this year was awesome. I want to thank everyone at Team Penske and MoneyLion for this opportunity. We just have to figure out what it takes to stay there and make our day a little easier. We just got caught up in other people’s problems. We had a top-five car and the leaders wrecked and that was our day, but that’s racing.”