By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
Austin Cindric completed his first laps in a Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series car Saturday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
This was behind the wheel of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford, a ride usually piloted by Brad Keselowski. However, following an illness over the weekend, Keselowski was forced to take a seat for the beginning of Happy Hour Saturday.
This experience was no small feat for Cindric, who soaked up his time in a Cup chassis.
“That was definitely a cool deal,” Cindric said. “Getting-up-to-speed-wise, it felt pretty comfortable around Lap 2 or 3 in the car. Those guys are the best in the business.
“For me, it would have been cool to drive these cars when they were going 200 mph into the corner but I’ll take it as I can get it. It was a lot of fun.”
Cindric had a personal checklist in terms of lessons learned while entering the No. 2 Ford.
“My job was to get into the car and hopefully evaluate, if not, be prepared for unusual situations should it come tomorrow,” he said. “I doubt to see that happen.”
Finishing 10th in the Xfinity Series’ Rinnai 250 on Saturday, Cindric could have another race to run on Sunday,
“Just in case anything freak happens, you never know with illnesses,” he said. “I’ll be on standby but I don’t see any reason why Brad
Even if Saturday’s laps are his last in the Cup Series for 2019, Cindric appreciated the opportunity and support to make it happen.
“Definitely a good experience, positive feedback,” he said. “For me, it felt a lot like the truck and I’ve raced Trucks for a year so I knew what I was getting into. A good deal to lean on Joey [Logano] and Ryan [Blaney] in the short amount of time it took to get ready to hop in.”