AUSTIN CINDRIC #2 DISCOUNT TIRE FOR FORD MUSTANG
START: 10th STAGE ONE: 17th STAGE TWO: 25th FINAL: 15th POINTS: 20th
RACE RECKeynoteUSA: Austin Cindric survived a dramatic Ally 400 at Nashville Superspeedway, overcoming several setbacks and a slew of late-race cautions to record a 15th-place finish. He started from the 10th position and made his first pit visit on Lap 38 to pick up four tires, fuel and a tune-up to aid in car stability. The Discount Tire Ford Mustang finished Stage 1 in the 17th position and returned to the pits for service. Cindric restarted in 20th as the second segment began on Lap 98, and just 18 laps later, Cindric reported to his crew that handling had improved on the center and exit. On Lap 136, inclement weather hit, bringing out the red flag for over an hour. Once racing resumed, Cindric was forced to restart at the back of the field due to a penalty. Despite the loss of track position, the former NASCAR Xfinity Series champion climbed back up to 25th at the conclusion of Stage 2. Following a four-tire stop, Cindric lined up 23rd for the restart on Lap 193. The Team Penske driver was slow but steady making progress until contact from the No. 71 sent Cindric deep into the field. Fortunately, the Discount Tire Ford was able to weather a series of late-race cautions to recover and finish 15th.
CINDRIC’S VIEWS: “Yes, it was a bit of a frustrating day. We had to go to the back, we lost a lot of places at the beginning of the race and overtook a lot of cars today. I thought we had a decent Ford Mustang Discount Tire, but we never held any track position that we did, either due to execution errors or simply because we were passed at the end of the race. So yeah, I’m happy that we came home with a good result and very happy for everyone in car 22; Those guys have had a tough time and certainly deserve a win and to be in the playoffs. “I’m proud that all three of us are fighting for a championship later this season.”
RYAN BLANEY #12 MENARDS/IDEAL DOOR FORD MUSTANG GARAGE DOORS
START: 18th STAGE ONE: 14th STAGE TWO: 8th FINAL: 6th POINTS: 8th
RACE RECKeynoteUSA: Ryan Blaney rallied to finish sixth on Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway, marking his third top-10 finish in the past four races. The 12-person crew worked to dial in the balance over the course of the opening 90-lap stage as Blaney battled his way into the top-10 at the start before ultimately settling for a 14th-place finish in Stage 1. After a four-tire stoppage and a round of adjustments at the stage break, Blaney worked his way up to 11th in the starting order before the race was red-flagged on Lap 135 for heavy rain in the area. After drivers returned to their cars once the track had completely dried, the field took the green flag with 46 laps remaining in Stage 2 as Blaney raced his way into the top-10 early in the race. Despite a loose handling condition that set in late in the race, Blaney managed to come away with an eighth-place result in the second segment. The 12 team gained a pair of positions on pit road under caution, allowing Blaney to take the green flag for the final stage from the inside of the third row. Blaney worked his way up to fourth on the first lap of the restart before a caution on Lap 218 forced various pit strategies as the fuel window approached. The 12 team opted to keep Blaney on the track under caution and assume the lead, as he was one of five lead-lap cars to stay out with the field lined up to take the green flag with 75 laps to go. A pair of cautions shortly afterward forced Blaney to stay out to avoid falling to the back of the pack, resulting in a scheduled green-flag stop on Lap 268 that caught him a lap down. A caution with two laps remaining granted Blaney the free pass to rejoin the lead lap before a Cup Series-record five overtime restarts ensued, the second of which saw Blaney involved in a multi-car incident down the stretch where he avoided damage despite sliding across the grass. By the time of the fifth and final restart, Blaney lined up 12th to take the checkered flag and continued to make a run at top speed before eventually taking the checkered flag in sixth place.
BLANEY’S THOUGHTS: “I’m really proud of this team of 12 for hanging in there all day. The strategy we had laid out didn’t go the way we hoped, but this turned into a race where if you can make it to the end, you’ve got a chance, and fortunately we were able to make up a lot of track position. We lost out on all the restarts at the end. Happy for all the guys on the team of 22 and proud of the effort put in to get all three Penske cars locked up to compete for a championship.”
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 26 STAGE ONE: 21 STAGE TWO: 21 FINISH: 10 POINTS: 14
RACE RECKeynoteUSA: Joey Logano prevailed to take the checkered flag Sunday at Nashville Superspeedway after a Cup Series-record five overtime restarts, marking his 33rd career victory and the 20th different track he has won at on the Cup Series circuit. With the win, Logano has now won at least one Cup Series race in 13 consecutive seasons, while snapping a 49-race winless streak to secure a playoff berth for the 11th time in the past 16 seasons. Despite finishing 21st in the first two stages and a lengthy rain delay in the middle of Stage 2, Logano and the ’22 crew altered their strategy when the caution flag waved on lap 205 as the fuel window began to close as crew chief Paul Wolfe made the decision to switch right-side tires and fuel to jump up to eighth in the running order for the ensuing restart. Logano raced his way into the top five before a caution on lap 227 brought the field back together, but on the ensuing restart, he was pushed back onto the track in turn one and eventually settled into 14th as the laps ticked away. The caution came out once again with two laps to go and Logano stayed out, allowing him to move up to eighth for the first restart in overtime as several of the leaders had concerns about having enough fuel to make it to the finish. Logano avoided a pair of multi-car crashes before the caution in the third overtime caused some of the leaders to make the trip to the pits for fuel, allowing the Shell-Pennzoil Ford to take over the lead for the fourth overtime restart. Logano was able to get by the No. 14 as it came in to take the caution, but the caution was shown just before it crossed the line to set up a fifth – and ultimately last – overtime restart as the 22-car team was committed to extending the fuel run as much as possible. From the inside of the front row, Logano was able to clear the field exiting turn two as the No. 45 closed in to challenge for the win coming to the checkered flag and successfully blocked the run to the high side in turns three and four before getting by the No. 71 at the line to take the win in the fuel-guzzling thriller.
LOGANO’S THOUGHTS: “It’s been a tough season and to be on that cut line, I’m telling you, it sucks. It’s just not fun. It’s tough and you just want a little relief from the pressure and with seven weeks until the playoffs, it gives us a chance to breathe for a second and start working on our car a little bit differently and get a better night’s sleep, to be honest with you. I’m proud of this team and proud to be here in Victory Lane, for sure. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to our fueler, Nick Hensley, our engine department with Roush Yates obviously building some engines that could manage fuel really well as well, and some guts – a lot of boxes made it possible.”
The NASCAR Cup Series returns to the streets of Chicago for the second-ever street race on Sunday, July 7. Coverage of the Grant Park 165 begins at 4:30 p.m. ET on KeynoteUSA, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.
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