DAYTONA BEACH | In his first full-time season in the NASCAR Cup, Austin Cindric yesterday won the prestigious Daytona 500 Mile Classic, the one that all drivers in the specialty dream of winning.
The young American thus offered a birthday present to his boss, Roger Penske, who, on this Sunday, February 20, celebrated his 85th birthday.
The success, achieved in just his eighth NASCAR Cup start, came to fruition after a late accident forced an overtime.
Aboard his Ford Mustang, Cindric had to contain a final threat from his teammate Ryan Blaney, before seeing the flag waved in front of him.
Destabilized after a slight contact, Blaney will have to settle for fourth place.
The 23-year-old driver is one of the rare drivers to sign the first victory of his career at the Daytona 500. Michael McDowell, surprise winner last year, Trevor Bayne, Michael Waltrip and Sterling Marlin had notably preceded him.
Support for his teammate
“My words fail me to describe what I feel right now, said the winner of the race. I have so many people to thank. »
“The first is obviously Roger Penske, without whom I wouldn’t be here celebrating. I am very happy to have given him this beautiful gift. »
“I also thought of Ryan [Blaney], who would have liked to earn as much as me. But, the race is thus made. When you have an opportunity to win such a prestigious event, you have to give it your all, even if you have to beat your teammate. »
A privileged witness to the lively discussion between the two partners at Penske, Bubba Wallace came in second. Chase Briscoe (third) and Aric Almirola (fifth), in his last Daytona 500 run, rounded out the top-five group at the finish.
Kyle Busch, Michael McDowell, David Ragan, Brad Keselowski and Chase Elliott, in order, formed the top 10.
Keselowski plays up
Photo: AFP
Harrison Burton’s car rolled over spectacularly yesterday during the race following a violent accident.
Keselowski, who left Penske to join a new team, led for 67 laps, more than anyone, but it wasn’t enough.
We will also remember that he elbowed a few times, a behavior that meant the loss of some disgruntled opponents.
He was notably responsible for the retirement of Denny Hamlin, who was coveting a fourth success at the Daytona 500. In the same sequence, where several cars were involved, rookie Harrison Burton saw his car roll over, fortunately Without gravity.
