Cindric mentality for NASCAR win after 85 races without victory says it all (2024)

Austin Cindric has reflected on his long winless streak after breaking his hoodoo (Image: Getty)

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It had looked as though teammate Ryan Blaney had been coasting to the win before he ran out of fuel, leaving an opportunity for Cindric to pounce. He did just that as he secured his first run since his rookie year back in 2022, with the former eventually having to settle for 24th place instead.

Now, the 25-year-old has reflected on a momentous day in his career as the former Rookie of the Year showed his attributes to triumph over his rivals. Opening up on how he has kept his motivations high after a lean spell in terms of success on the track, the Ohio-born driver gave an honest account of the strength of character he has had to demonstrate.

Admitting that the upcoming race weekend at Sonoma Raceway is already on his mind, he did confess that he's been allowing himself to look back on his win. He said: "It’s been great. Obviously, it’s a short turnaround, probably shorter than most weeks with Sonoma and cars having to leave this morning.

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Austin Cindric experienced a day to remember as he triumphed in the Illinois 300 (Image: Getty)

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"My guys didn’t have much time to turn around and we had to do the whole car yesterday, so we got all the families of the guys on my team together, pit crew, road crew and went out and had dinner last night.We went and did the win donuts that I would traditionally do at Roush Yates, it’s just been a while."

After a promising showing in 2022, where he finished 12th in the individual standings, he struggled to maintain that form last term as he placed 24th in the table. Giving an insight into his mindset during some difficult spells last season, he also detailed how he remained focused on the job at hand.

“There are weeks where you’re finishing 25th three weeks in a row where it’s hard to sit here and realistically think you’ll just go in there and need to use this information," he acknowledged. "But some of it is just about not being lazy and that’s how you have to challenge yourself because it’s kind of depressing watching some of those things thinking that you’re not gonna have to use it.”

Austin Cindric could not hide his joy during a momentous day in his career (Image: Getty)

"But it’s necessary and that’s the mindset that I’ve forced myself to have is to be prepared for those moments and this weekend is honestly proof of that process for not just me, but my team."

"That’s what I feel like I project onto my race team is to be prepared for that, know that we have that opportunity and it’s good to be surrounded by, Cindric continued, "whether if that’s two championship teams right next door to our setup plate or even IndyCar program or an IMSA program."

He added: "We have enough greatness surrounding us to know that we have all those ingredients. Obviously, it hasn’t been the best year for our Cup program as a whole, but you have to be ready for those opportunities and do what is necessary to take advantage of that.”

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