Austin Cindric addresses Team Penske fans celebrating 'longtime coming' Talladega triumph

No. 2 Team Penske racer Austin Cindric scored his first win of the season at Talladega by nipping No. 60 Ford racer Ryan Preece in the final lap by 0.022 seconds. The two racers exchanged leads on the racetrack in the last six laps at the Jack Link's 500; however, Cindric gave Team Penske its first victory of the season.

Soon after his win, Austin Cindric was seen wearing the traditional victory wreath around his neck for most media interviews, hinting at how happy he was with the achievement. Addressing Team Penske fans via their official Instagram handle, the No. 2 racer said:

"Hey Team Penske fans, we're in victory lane here at Talladega, long time coming for this team, total team effort there at the end. It just feels so good getting the playoffs, getting the guys a win, and couldn't be any happier."

In a post-race interview, Austin Cindric acknowledged the contributions of his team, his spotter, and Hendrick Motorsports racer Kyle Larson toward his win. The 26-year-old reflected on his efforts towards earning a win for John Menard for the last 3-4 years.

“I’m just so proud of this team from the [pit] cycles to the fast cars to the fuel-only stops,’’ (via NASCAR.com)

However, the speedster did compare his Talladega triumph to winning the Indy 500 and said (Via ESPN)

Feels like I just won the Indy 500.

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Austin Cindric credits Kyle Larson for pushing him at 'the right times' in post-Talladega win interview

After crediting his team, fans, and spotter for contributing to his Talladega victory, Austin Cindric went on to acknowledge Hendrick Motorsports racer Kyle Larson's role in the same. In a post-race interview, Cindric said,

"I give a lot of credit, Kyle [Larson] did a lot to take care of me, pushing me at the right times in the tri-oval, and as mad as I was at him after Atlanta [race], I feel like we’re good now." (via Fox News)

For the unversed, Cindric and Larson were duelling to get the lead position at the Ambetter Health 400 on the Atlanta Motor Speedway when the latter carried the Team Penske racer into the wall. This resulted in Cindric bouncing off the wall, taking William Byron along with him in the wreck, eliminating the No. 2 driver from the race. Austin Cindric was assigned a 28th-place finish at Atlanta despite leading the race thrice for 47 laps.

Wanting to address the situation after the race, Austin Cindric recalled that he had a stack of business cards in his bag, which he once gave to team managers and owners as a teenager in 2016.

At that point, Cindric saw Hendrick Motorsports' president and general manager, Jeff Andrews, with the team's vice president of competition, Chad Knaus. The Team Penske racer slipped his card to Larson's superiors with a message asking the Hendrick Motosports' racer to connect with him. Reflecting on having a 'good talk' with Kyle Larson, the No. 2 racer mentioned:

“Kyle took responsibility on the end of the race, which obviously ended our race and kind of talking about it doesn’t really unwreck my race car. But I think we’re on the same page as what the expectations are moving forward racing together. I think it’s important. It’s about all I can influence is talking about it, but I hope to race Kyle, and I certainly have a lot of respect." (via NBC Sports)

While Austin Cindric praised a racer from another team, things didn't end well with his Team Penske teammate, Joey Logano, at Talladega. During the final laps of the second stage, Logano was trying to get ahead of 23XI Racing's Bubba Wallace, and he didn't get the required push from Cindric to help surpass Wallace. This resulted in Logano calling Austin Cindric a 'dumba**' over the team radio.