Team Penske’s #2 driver Austin Cindric drops his unfiltered feelings after seizing the Daytona Duel at Erik Jones’ expense

Team Penske driver Austin Cindric shared his thoughts after winning the second qualifying duel at Daytona International Speedway in a dramatic finish over Erik Jones. The 26-year-old driver secured the win in a photo finish that sparked a debate over the final outcome, as Jones appeared to cross the finish line first.

The race began with Cindric starting from the pole position, having secured the second-fastest time in single-car qualifying. The 60-lap event showcased drivers battling for positions, with multiple lead changes throughout the event. The race intensified in the closing stages leading to a multi-car incident on the final lap. This crash involved several drivers, including Cody Ware, Anthony Alfredo, and Kyle Larson, who were among those spinning and crashing.

Cindric appeared to have crossed the finish line in second. However, when NASCAR reviewed the footage of the exact time of caution on the final lap, they found that Cindric’s car was just inches ahead of Jones’ No. 43 Toyota Camry. Jones, believing that he had won, parked at the finish line and waited to celebrate, only to learn moments later that Austin Cindric was awarded the victory.

Speaking about the way the race ended, Cindric mentioned that he felt bad for Jones.

"I feel bad for Erik having to go all the way over there. They made a great move on the last lap there. Joey (Logano) and I were sitting ducks with the middle lane fading there. Obviously, we had a really fast Mustang... Overall, proud of everybody at Team Penske getting lined up there, the execution of the cycle there." Cindric was quoted as saying by NBC Sports.

"It’s cool, but there’s still a lot to go for the race. I feel so bad he had to drive all the way over there. That’s terrible. I honestly thought I got him, but I wasn’t going to sit there and argue about anything. But, yeah, it’s awesome. Glad to put on a great show for the fans here," he added.

Jones was initially displayed as the winner on the scoring monitors. The Legacy Motor Club driver was ultimately demoted to a second-place finish after what was a very strong performance at the two-and-a-half-mile racetrack.

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Austin Cindric compares the risk vs reward of racing hard in the duels

NASCAR: Duel 2 at DAYTONA - Source: Imagn

During the post-race press conference, Austin Cindric was asked whether his team had more to lose than to gain by racing hard in the qualifying duel. He was also asked to comment on just how much these duels are about collecting data for the main event on Sunday.

Cindric noted that as a racer, his instinct is always to push his competitors to the limit. However, he acknowledges the team's perspective, recognizing that they might prefer a more cautious approach to minimize risks.

"I feel like we were able to check a lot of our boxes early in the race, but I think there's a lot of trust involved too. I'm very thankful that my race team trusts me to go out there and do that because, yeah, I left last night saying, 'Hey, can I race, can I race, can I race?' ...As a competitor, that's all I want to do. That's all I'm here to do. Somebody is just going to have to tell me not to, which is totally fine. I understand," Austin Cindric said in the post-race press conference.

"But I felt like we were able to kind of do it all tonight. Yeah, you maybe look like a fool if things don't work out, but there's some risk management involved. I think in a lot of ways the pros outweighed the cons for me... All in all, a lot learned for tonight, and a lot gained. Certainly, I had a lot of fun," he concluded.

Cindric won the Daytona 500 in 2022 in his rookie season for Team Penske and will hope to add another victory at the Great American Race under his belt.