"The circuit itself isn’t the most challenging" - Austin Cindric thinks this makes NASCAR Indy race 'pretty wild'

The Verizon 200 at The Brickyard is set to begin this weekend at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) Road Course. Austin Cindric will be on track where he won last year’s Xfinity race and had a top-10 finish as well in last year’s Cup race. The 23-year-old driver will look to replicate his strong form on Sunday and also win the second Cup race of his career.

Unlike most road course races, the IMS Road Course has different characteristics as it is an asphalt and brick track. The fourth road course of the season has 14 turns with a total distance of about 200 miles, which will be covered in 82 laps. Austin Cindric is among the drivers who feel that the restarts at Indy race are the most challenging thing.

Before heading to the Indy race, Cindric stated that from last year’s experience and even re-watching the race, the IMS Road Course is not the most challenging track. But he pointed out that restarting at this course in NASCAR is "pretty wild" and the most challenging for any driver.

Cindric said:

“I think from a NASCAR driver’s perspective, from what I experienced last year and even re-watching the race, the circuit itself isn’t the most challenging. There are no blind corners really. I feel like it’s a fairly flat surface and fairly even grip throughout the surface, but I think the restarts are pretty wild. Being able to calculate those out correctly. You can lose a lot of spots.”

He continued:

“You saw guys who were pretty much dominating the race last year not be able to capitalize on some late-race restarts and that cost them the win. I think from that perspective, the restarts at the IMS road course in NASCAR are probably the most challenging thing for a driver.”

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Austin Cindric was fastest in the Cup Series practice race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course

Driving the #2 Discount Tire Ford Mustang, Austin Cindric was the fastest in the 20-minute practice race with an average speed of 98.468 mph and a time of 89.171 seconds. He was followed by Daniel Suarez (98.354 mph) and Ryan Blaney (98.168 mph) in the top three.

Despite being a rookie Cup driver, Cindric put on a great showing in the first three road course races of the season. He has secured a P8, P5, and P7 at the Circuit of the Americas, Sonoma Raceway, and Road America, respectively, so it will be interesting to see how he fares this weekend at the IMS Road Course.

Catch Austin Cindric at the IMS Road Course on Sunday, July 31, 2022.