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Austin Cindric's first Daytona 500 will be one he'll never forget. In the first race of the 2022 NASCAR Cup Series season, Austin held off the hard-charging Bubba Wallace Jr. to take the checkered flag and the trophy in the biggest race of the year.
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In only his eighth Cup Series start, and first as a full-time Cup driver, Cindric became just the second-youngest driver ever to win the Great American Race.
Austin got a big push across the start/finish line from teammate Ryan Blaney to hold off Bubba Wallace, who scored his second runner-up finish at Daytona.
"You know what makes it all better? A packed house. A packed house at the Daytona 500"
An excited Cindric said after celebrating the win.
"I've got so many people to thank. First and foremost Roger Penske. Happy birthday!" I appreciate Ryan (Blaney) being a great teammate. I'm so pumped. Damn, I am so excited. This makes up for losing the (Xfinity) championship last year.
Austin Cindric grabbed the race lead on the overtime restart with two laps remaining in the race. Blaney made a move but was blocked by Cindric coming out of turn four, which opened the door for Wallace on the inside. Austin and Wallace crossed the start/finish line by-side after making contact, with Cindric edging him out by 0.036 seconds.
"I'm surrounded by great people. I knew there would be highs and lows being a rookie, and I'm just grateful for the opportunity. We're in the playoffs. My God. Awesome fans and an awesome car."
The victory gives Austin a guaranteed spot in the NASCAR Playoffs.
Another Daytona 500 runner-up finish for Bubba Wallace Jr.
So close but so far away. Bubba Wallace Jr. finishes in 2nd place for the 2nd time at the Daytona 500.
Kicking off his second season driving for Michael Jordan and Denny Hamlin, the Great American Race brought heartache for Bubba.
"I'm gonna be pissed off about this one for a while," Wallace said. "I was happy about the first one but this one sucks. It's pretty damn cool to win the 500 in your first full season, so congrats to Austin.
Chase Briscoe finished the race in third place, followed by Austin Cindric's teammate Ryan Blaney. Aric Almorola, making his final Daytona 500 start, rounded out the top five.
