Austin Cindric aims to keep positive momentum at Kansas

by Andrew Gorton

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Penske Team are on a good run, finishing 13th or better in the last six races.

This includes an 11th place finish last Saturday at Bristol that moved Cindric up one spot in the Chase standings.

To contend for the title, Cindric will likely have to pull off a couple wins over the next seven races, with his next chance coming up at Kansas Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

“I think the intermediate tracks are kind of going to define where we end up in the standings and honestly who wins the championship, in my opinion,” said Austin Cindric, driver of the No. 2 Penske Ford.

TALLADEGA, ALABAMA - APRIL 27: Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Menards/Quaker State Ford, celebrates in victory lane after winning the NASCAR Cup Series Jack Link's 500 at Talladega Superspeedway on April 27, 2025 in Talladega, Alabama.

The next three races on the NASCAR schedule are intermediate 1.5 mile ovals: Kansas, Las Vegas and Charlotte.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Cindric does typically finish as well compared to the spring races. Over the last two years, Cindric has finished 12th and 11th in the spring versus 30th and 34th in the fall.

NASCAR will bring the same Goodyear tire that they did in the spring this weekend, which will give the No. 2 team something to build on.

“I think we have some good notes from going to Chicago during the summer, and it’s kind of like last time, we’ve been on a traditional mile and a half. So, I think it’ll be a good place for us to get a baseline for the last portion of the season,” Cindric said.

BRISTOL, TENNESSEE - SEPTEMBER 19: Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, and Austin Cindric, driver of the #2 Menards/Richmond Ford, race during the NASCAR Cup Series Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway on September 19, 2026 in Bristol, Tennessee.

A championship is once again the goal this season, which would be a Hollywood ending for Team Penske’s 60th anniversary.

“I look at the things that Roger Penske and team Penske have done over the course of 60 years. A blip on the radar, even if you do win a championship. It’s all very important. It’s all very significant, but it is the expectation when you race here,” Cindric said.

To accomplish that goal, Cindric will have to beat his two teammates that are also in The Chase — last week’s winner Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney.

Even if the intermediate tracks don’t go as planned for Cindric, the No. 2 team will be a contender at Talladega in October where he won in 2025.

The green flag at Kansas drops Sunday afternoon.

You can listen to the entire conversation with Austin Cindric below.