NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - Las Vegas 2

October 16, 2023

TRACK: LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
RACE: SOUTH POINT 400
DATE: OCTOBER 15, 2023

(Stage finishes reflect results prior to post-race inspection. Race finishes reflect results following post-race inspection.)

AUSTIN CINDRIC No. 2 AUTOTRADER FORD MUSTANG
START: 19TH
STAGE ONE:  32ND
STAGE TWO: 19TH
FINISH: 22ND
POINTS: 23RD

RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric and the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Mustang team finished 23rd in Sunday afternoon's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Cindric fired off from the 19th position following Saturday morning's qualifying session and reported early on in the 267-lap duel that the balance was too loose to run any higher than the bottom and that the car was bouncing in traffic. He made his first trip to pit road on lap 34 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. Scored a lap down, Cindric was able to take the wave around under caution on Lap 66 to rejoin the lead lap while noting that the car was "easily manipulated in dirty air." After finishing Stage 1 in the 32nd position, the 25-year-old racer ventured to pit road for four tires and fuel and restarted 29th in the running order. Cindric rapidly began to gain momentum, moving up six positions following the restart. On lap 111, a caution slowed the field and Cindric said that the car was way more controllable, but a little too snug. Following a routine service stop, the Autotrader Ford Mustang charged from the 21st position when the green flag flew again on lap 118. The No. 2 continued to advance up the pylon a few more spots before ultimately crossing the stripe in the 19th position at the end of Stage 2. Crew chief Brian Wilson called the driver to pit road for service and adjustments to aid a free condition and help provide stability to the car on exit. Cindric maintained his pace for much of the final stint, but when the checkered flag waved, the Team Penske driver was scored 23rd.  
 
CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS:  "Yeah, I definitely got checked up on the final restart. I felt like we were better than that finish. Started off the race really, really loose; it was difficult to control the car. The guys made some good adjustments and took some time on some stops and got us to where we could launch back to the front of the field. Overall, I felt like we learned a lot today, but it was more challenging than I think we were anticipating. We've got a lot of good notes for next spring."

RYAN BLANEY No. 12 MENARDS/TARKETT FORD MUSTANG
START: 12TH
STAGE ONE: 6TH
STAGE TWO: 8TH
FINISH: 36TH
POINTS: 8TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Ryan Blaney took the checkered flag sixth in Sunday's South Point 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to open the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs Round of 8 but, following post-race inspection, the No. 12 Menards/Tarkett Ford Mustang was disqualified as NASCAR deemed the left-front shock did not meet the overall specified length outlined in the rule book. The disqualification relegated Blaney to a 36th-place finish and Team Penske's decision on whether to appeal the ruling has yet to be announced.

Blaney had strong, long-run speed on display from the drop of the green flag Sunday after starting 12th, quickly working his way towards the top-five during the opening run of the 400-mile event. Following a scheduled green flag stop on lap 34 while running sixth, Blaney cycled to fourth in the running order before a caution on lap 64 brought the leaders to pit road with the laps winding down in Stage 1. With some teams opting for two tires instead of four, Blaney lined up to restart sixth with nine to go in the stage and held his position for the remainder of the opening segment. Following another four-tire stop at the stage break, Blaney charged his way back into the top-five on lap 108 while battling issues with front turn and rear security during the run. After the caution flag flew on lap 111, crew chief Jonathan Hassler went back on his adjustments from earlier in the race when Blaney made the trip to pit road under yellow. Two-tire strategies among the leaders shuffled the running order for the following restart, but Blaney managed to work his way back to eighth by the conclusion of Stage 2. The Menard/Tarkett Ford Mustang took the green flag ninth to begin the final stage and Blaney's long-run prowess took over as he battled his way up to fourth on the leaderboard by lap 205, making his way around the Nos. 11 and 1 in turns three and four. Following a pair of cautions on laps 209 and 217, Blaney lined up 11th for the final restart with 45 laps to go and picked off traffic ahead of him one-by-one in the closing laps to take the checkered flag sixth.

Blaney enters the second race of the Round of 8 eighth in the points standings, 56 points below the cut line.

JOEY LOGANO No. 22 PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG
START: 9TH
STAGE ONE: 12TH
STAGE TWO: 11TH
FINISH: 11TH
POINTS: 13TH

RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano and the No. 22 Pennzoil team fought their way to a 12th-place finish in Sunday afternoon's South Point 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The defending race winner battled handling issues on the opening run of the 400-mile event, shuffling Logano back to 14th in the early going, but a scheduled four-tire stop with a round of adjustments on lap 34 began to neutralize the balance of the Pennzoil Ford Mustang. The caution flag flew 30 laps later as Logano reported a tight-handling condition that began to build over the course of the run, prompting another four-tire stop under caution as he lined up for the restart 13th with nine to go in Stage 1. Logano rallied for a 12th-place finish in the stage despite a lack of grip when firing off. Following a caution on lap 111, the 22 crew gained Logano four spots on pit road to take the ensuing restart from eighth in the running order, but the Pennzoil Ford took off tight as he eventually settled into 15th. A single-car incident on lap 145 prompted crew chief Paul Wolfe to call for right side tires and fuel when the field hit pit road, vaulting Logano to take the green flag from the inside of row two with 16 laps remaining in the second segment. Logano battled to maintain track position to the end of stage, ultimately settling for an 11th-place finish in Stage 2. Following a four-tire stop and a round of adjustments at the stage break, Logano surged back into the top-10 on the opening laps of the run despite a loose-handling condition that started to build over the course of the cycle. Another solid stop from the No. 22 team following a caution on lap 209 positioned Logano eighth as the field went back green with 52 laps to go before he ultimately took the checkered flag 12th.

LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "We had a decent day, just not enough speed to contend for a win with our Pennzoil Ford Mustang. [Crew chief] Paul [Wolfe] and the 22 guys made some good calls on the box to gain us some track position all day but we lacked the long run speed needed to maintain the pace with the leaders in the end. A lot of good takeaways for us and we'll get back after it at Homestead."

WHAT'S NEXT: The NASCAR Cup Series heads to Homestead-Miami Speedway on Sunday, October 22 for the second race in the NASCAR Playoffs Round of 8. Coverage of the 4EVER 400 Presented by Mobil 1 begins at 2:30 pm E.T. on NBC, MRN Radio and Sirius XM NASCAR Radio Channel 90.