By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
Austin Cindric was able to score his best finish of the 2018 NASCAR XFINITY Series season at Richmond Raceway on Friday night.
Cindric had to drop to the rear of the field at the beginning of the race due to unapproved adjustments. Despite starting at the rear, Cindirc began his march towards the front.
“That was more work than I thought I was going to have to do tonight. We were definitely a top-three car, we just needed a Cup race worth of distance to get there. Track position was pretty important. We had a great long-run car all night and definitely a car that was able to contend for the win,” Cindric stated.
The march towards the front for the rookie driver did not come without challenge. During the race, Cindric’s right ankle was sore in which cramping became an issue. “My right ankle is sore just from cramping it up so hard trying not to burn it off those last 90 laps because, for me, I didn’t know what I was in for. I had those other 75-lap runs to base off of, but you add another 25 on that and it’s a chore,” Cindric continued.
With the strong run, Cindric is happy with the effort his team has put in so far for his best finish in the series.
“I’m really, really happy with the guys. They’ve been patient with me and coming to this track never having seen it before, I’m happy with the run. This is my best finish so far in the XFINITY Series and we’ll just keep going.”
With his fifth place finish, Cindric will be eligible for the Dash4Cash bonus at Talladega Superspeedway next weekend.