"I’m on offense from here on out" - Austin Cindric wants to take a shot at 2022 NASCAR Cup Series championship after barely making it into Round of 12

Team Penske driver Austin Cindric qualified for the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs Round of 12 last weekend after finishing in P20 in the Bass Pro Shops Night Race on Sunday. The Cup Series rookie did not have the most comfortable entry into the next round as he faced elimination until the complete finishing order of the race was finalized, and hopes to not put himself in that position again.

Winner of the 2022 Daytona 500, Austin Cindric suffered a tire failure on lap 85 out of 500 during the race, as did many other Ford drivers. Despite the caution not being thrown for his incident on the track, the #2 Freightliner Ford Mustang driver managed to make it to pit road to get a fresh set of tires. The 24-year-old, as a result, had to make his way up the field from the back, and elaborated on how he managed to do that after the race and said:

“For a while, it was just drive as hard as I can. As they fell off likes flies, I tried not to force any issues, tried not to force any more right-front tire failures.”

The Columbus, Ohio native was quick to look ahead at the opportunity he has in the Round of 12 and spoke about how he will be changing his style going forward. He said:

“I feel like it’s a great chance for us to do something that most people don’t expect, and that’s make the Round of 8 and have a shot to go win a championship. I’m on offense from here on out.”

It remains to be seen how the remainder of the playoff season goes for the Cup Series rookie. After all, it is hard to discount him out of contention after his victory in the 2022 season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

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Austin Cindric congratulates Chris Buescher for winning the NASCAR 2022 Bass Pro Shops Night Race

Team Penske driver Austin Cindric was in good spirits despite his P20 finish in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs race at Bristol Motor Speedway last Sunday. The 24-year-old rookie managed to advance into the Round of 12 as RFK Racing's Chris Buescher took the checkered flag in P1.

During one of his post-race interviews, Buescher was seen celebrating on the track with a burnout in the background as Cindric tried to speak to the media. This led to the #2 Freightliner Ford Mustang driver appreciating his fellow racer, saying:

“He deserved that. Congrats to Chris (Buescher) and Brad (Keselowski) and that’s obviously really cool.”

Watch the interview below:

Watch Austin Cindric next weekend as NASCAR goes live from Texas Motor Speedway next weekend for the AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 500.