"On paper, it is pretty simple" - Austin Cindric says he had to overcome a lot of adversity during the race at COTA

Austin Cindric began the Cup series season by setting the bar higher than expected for a rookie driver.

The No. 2 driver of the Discount Tire Ford Mustang for Team Penske clinched NASCAR's most coveted title, the Daytona 500, for his first career win.

During the first qualifying stage, Austin Cindric finished in tenth place. He then proceeded to hunt for the pole position, and he ended up finishing in the 9th position.

Cindric expressed satisfaction with his performance on Twitter, stating:

"Needed a good day... A roundabout way of getting there, but P8 and points in both stages. Thanks @DiscountTire @Team_Penske"

The No. 2 driver took the green flag on pole nine. After battling all the way to overtime, Austin Cindric ended up finishing in 8th place, his second top-ten finish of the season.

However, achieving this was not a simple task, as he had to overcome a lot of adversity. While speaking to the media about his performance, Austin said:

“On paper, it is pretty simple, right? Qualify 10th, first stage 10th. Second stage ninth, finish eighth. Easy right? It is definitely not that.”

He continued:

“A lot of adversity to overcome. I put some of it on me and some of it is just circumstantial I guess. They are tricky cars to drive and tricky to try to out-brake somebody. There were a lot of people out-braking themselves. Either way, a really strong effort by the Discount Tire Ford Mustang.”

On Facebook, Team Penske updated the positions of their drivers at the end of the road course race.

Austin Cindric's impressive performance at NASCAR Cup Series

In the past five races, Cindric has hovered between top-twenty and top-thirty finishes. However, in the recently concluded race at COTA, Cindric recorded an impressive performance, managing to maintain his pole and finishing position.

He followed up his win with a pole at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, earning a win and a pole in his first two races. Since his successful start, Cindric has struggled to regain his solid results.

Following a successful Xfinity race and a few Cup series starts, Team Penske announced that Cindric will be taking over the Ford Mustang No. 2 from Brad Keselowski.

Keselowski left team Penske to race for Roush Fenway Racing, taking the Ford Mustang No. 6. Austin Cindric has turned out to be one of the most promising drivers on the track and the future looks bright for the talented young driver.