Cindric “got used up” by Larson, watches another win slip through his fingers

The season has only just begun and Austin Cindric has found himself a rough habit of being in the right place at the wrong time. Sunday, the No. 2 Team Penske Ford driver was leading with just three laps to go at Atlanta. A week earlier, he was leading the field to the white flag at the Daytona 500. But in both cases, he was swallowed up by a wreck he didn’t start, and was denied a fair shot at victory.

“It was unfortunate. As a team, as Fords, we had the best cars here this weekend,” said Cindric after being released from the infield care center. “We put ourselves into position to win the race and got used up and into the fence and didn’t win the race. It’s a shame. Two weeks in a row I feel like we have had the car to beat and haven’t done it. One way or another it is disappointing.”

At Daytona, Cindric was leading the inside lane when Cole Custer pinched the leaders, collecting Cindric and ending his chance of becoming a two-time winner of the Daytona 500. This weekend, he was in a position to potentially win yet again, when Kyle Larson made a bold move up the inside, and started pushing up despite not being completely clear. While Larson snatched the lead away, Cindric was moved up into the outside wall before crashing into the inside wall — ending any chance he had at the win or a decent finish.

“Yeah, just a little bit of a lazy kind of up the track,” said Larson when asked about the incident. “He got there a little bit quicker than I thought he would. I thought he was going to pick me up on the exit at [Turn] two. Yeah, that was probably my fault. I haven’t seen a replay, but I’m sure that was my fault.”

It’s especially heart-wrenching for Cindric, who only has two wins since becoming a full-time Cup driver in 2022. And yet, he’s led 106 laps between the first two races of the 2025 season despite having little to show for it. By comparison, he only led 256 laps total all of last year.

Photos from Sunday of  Atlanta: