“It’s a double edged sword”: Austin Cindric unsure of what to make of his newfound speed after Gateway win

Austin Cindric was left somewhat shocked after his win at Gateway. The Team Penske driver was enjoying a solid day on the track with the other Fords. However, the Penske driver who looked more likely to win was Ryan Blaney.

But when Blaney ran out of gas in the last lap, Cindric suddenly found himself in the lead and soon after, taking the checkered flag. This was Cindric's second win in the #2 car since his full-time debut in 2022.

Unlike his two teammates, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney, Austin Cindric hasn't found much success in the Penske Mustang. In fact, in the last 50 Cup starts, Cindric has only managed to finish inside the top 5 on two occasions, with the most recent one coming in Atlanta in February earlier this season.

After the race, Cindric was asked how he felt about having speed again, considering it'd been a while since he ran up front.

"It's a double edged sword, right? We've been super good here but I'll be 100% honest with you, we don't really know why it works super well," Cindric said on on SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. [00:25]

Austin Cindric mentions Ryan Blaney was better than him at Gateway

Speaking further in his response to SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, Austin Cindric mentioned that to him, it was Ryan Blaney who was the better Penske driver at the end of the race. Cindric pointed to Blaney getting the better of him on the pit cycle.

However, the improvement aspect from a #2 team perspective wasn't lost on Cindric. He mentioned that his Gateway win also happens to be the first for his crew chief Brian Wilson in his role as he showered some praise for his team members.

"It was a lot of guys that are new to their roles in this team. I think we all believed in each other in a lot of ways and knew that we would have a bit of a brotherhood to get to the same level as the #12 and the #22. It doesn't happen every week but when it does, they're great ambassadors and leaders for our team. Proud to being able to bring the effort and position for Roger to win this race," Cindric described. [1:00]

As for how he felt about Ryan Blaney running out of gas, Cindric claimed he was "heartbroken", adding that it was the #12 team who "deserved to win" the race that he ended up winning.

And having two Penske cars in contention for the win and a potential 1-2 finish that didn't pan out because of Blaney's late-race heartbreak was what disappointed Austin Cindric.

But on a personal front, he claimed the win was "huge" for him and the #2 team.