NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - Charlotte (Coca-Cola 600)May 30, 2023CHARLOTTE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
RACE RUNDOWN: Austin Cindric was credited with a 31st-place finish after an early departure in Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the No. 2 Menards/Duracell Ford Mustang. After practice and qualifying went awash Saturday evening, the starting lineup for the longest race of the season was set based on NASCAR's metric, which lined Cindric up 21st for the start. During a competition caution on Lap 35, Cindric was scored 25th and pitted for service to aid the balance. Cindric returned to pit road following a caution on Lap 74 and again at the conclusion of Stage 1 after finishing 19th. The Team Penske driver reported to his team that the car was tighter in Turn 1 and Turn 2,and headed to pit road for four tires and adjustments. Unfortunately, the No. 2 car was penalized for vehicle interference and had to restart at the tail. Rain moved into the area on Lap 158, bringing out the red flag. After a 30-minute red flag, a series of cautions ensued, and Cindric returned to the attention of the Menards pit crew for four tires and fuel on Lap 76, but unfortunately had to pit again for the crew to tighten the right-rear tire. The 2020 NASCAR Xfinity Series champion finished Stage 2 21st. The No. 2 Ford Mustang restarted 20th and reported early in the segment that the car was tight firing off. Cindric moved up the charts, running as high as 12th before slipping to 13th at the end of Stage 3. The sophomore NASCAR Cup Series driver took the green flag 13th for the restart, but was unfortunately tagged from behind on Lap 371, sending the Menards/Duracell Mustang into the wall on the backstretch, collecting significant damage. CINDRIC'S THOUGHTS: "You're patient for 550 miles, why be patient for the last 40? I probably could have helped myself there by not drifting up the racetrack and knowing my own strength and weaknesses. It's just unfortunate to get so close to the end of this race and not being able to finish it last year and the same with this year. I felt we had a lot of positives from today – some really good pit stops. We had good speed at times, but just having to put the whole race together as a team. I made some mistakes today and unfortunately not to be able to finish it off."
BLANEY'S THOUGHTS: "Obviously a big weekend for Team Penske. Watching the Indy 500 yesterday, how that played out, and watching Josef win his first one and watching Mr. Penske win No. 19, that's really cool to see. Especially when that stuff happens, you're like, well, the pressure is on for us to try to sweep the weekend, especially in two really big races. That was the goal, and fortunately we executed well enough to get it done. I'm really looking forward to talking to Roger here after I get done and back to the bus because I haven't congratulated him enough, and I'm looking forward to hearing his voice. A big weekend, and obviously winning the 600 is massive. I grew up coming here watching my dad race for a long time as a kid. It's just what we did every summer. Really cool, and it was cool for my parents to be here as well. So that was a special moment. Fun night, that's for sure. Monday races seem to go really well for me. I don't know what it is, but definitely a fun night."
JOEY LOGANO No. 22 SHELL-PENNZOIL FORD MUSTANG RACE RUNDOWN: Joey Logano battled a loose-handling Shell-Pennzoil Ford Mustang from the onset of Sunday night's Coca-Cola 600, but the No. 22 team went to work on the handling following a 21st-place finish in Stage 1. Following a four-tire stop with a round of adjustments at the stage break, Logano worked his way back into the top-15 by lap 112 before green-flag pit stops began to cycle. After a 30-minute rain delay, the No. 22 team brought Logano to pit road under caution for a two-tire stop but suffered from a pit road penalty for equipment interference, relegating him to the tail end of the field. Logano used the No. 22 team's off-sequence pit strategy to work his way up into the top-10 by the end of Stage 2, resulting in a fourth-place finish. He made his way up to second in the running order following the restart to begin Stage 3, but Logano began to suffer from a loose-handling condition through the corners as he was shuffled out of the top-10. Logano rallied for an 11th-place in Stage 3 and made his way back into the top-10 by the halfway mark of the final stage but was collected in the last caution of the night when the No. 5 went around on the exit of turn 2. Despite a pair of trips to pit road for four fresh tires and repairs to the nose and splitter, the No. 22 team was able to keep Logano on the lead lap and took the checkered flag 21st. LOGANO'S THOUGHTS: "Tough night for the Shell-Pennzoil Mustang team. We struggled with the balance and unfortunately couldn't miss the late accident and got damage. So happy for Team Penske, Josef, and Ryan on a weekend sweep." Back to previous page.Copyright ©2008-2016 Penske Racing. All rights reserved |