Austin Cindric Clinches Thrilling Victory at Talladega
In a nail-biting finish at Talladega Superspeedway, Austin Cindric emerged victorious in the latest NASCAR Cup Series race, edging out Ryan Preece in a dramatic photo finish. Cindric, driving for Team Penske, capitalized on a late-race draft from lapped cars that propelled him ahead at the line.
"This win is a testament to our team’s hard work," Cindric stated. "The Ford Performance and Roush Yates engine package are unmatched at these tracks. After years of trying, it feels great to finally bring this win home for John Menard and our fans."
Cindric, who had been languishing in 22nd place in the championship standings prior to this race, secured his third career Cup Series victory. His previous wins included the 2022 Daytona 500 and the 2024 Gateway race.
Preece, finishing second, marked his career-best result in nearly 200 Cup starts. He was the last remaining RFK Racing driver after his teammates, Chris Buescher and Brad Keselowski, fell out early due to on-track incidents.
Kyle Larson led the opening stage of the race and ultimately finished third, achieving his best result at Talladega. William Byron and Joey Logano rounded out the top five, while Noah Gragson, Chase Elliott, Carson Hocevar, Alex Bowman, and Bubba Wallace completed the top ten.
The race featured minimal caution flags, with only two incidents requiring interruption. The first involved a multi-car crash during pit entry that eliminated both Keselowski and Ryan Blaney, also collecting Kyle Busch. A second incident saw Christopher Bell and Buescher collide on a restart.
This victory positions Cindric among six different winners in the current season, asserting his competitiveness as the playoffs approach.
