Team Penske NASCAR Xfinity Race ReportJune 8, 2019Track: Michigan International Speedway No. 12 Menards/Richmond Ford Mustang – Paul Menard Notes: Menard pulled away from the field at the drop of the green flag, leading every lap to win Stage 1. The balance on the No. 12 Mustang was free during the first segment but Menard stayed up front in clean air. He pitted during the stage caution for two tires and remained in the lead when the race went green on lap 37. The Menards/Richmond Ford was tight at the beginning of Stage 2 but freed up as the run went on. He led until lap 58 when a piece of debris on the nose of the No. 12 Mustang forced Menard to back off slightly to avoid overheating the engine. Despite the conservative strategy, Menard finished third when the stage ended on lap 60. He pitted during the stage caution for four tires and adjustments and restarted third when the final segment began on lap 67. Quote:
No. 22 LTi Printing Ford Mustang – Austin Cindric Notes: The driver of the LTi Printing Ford Mustang earned the fifth-place starting position during qualifying for the 125-lap, 250-mile race on Saturday morning. Starting on the inside lane, Cindric fell to the eighth position before the first caution on lap 6. He moved up to sixth-place when the second yellow came out on lap 13. The young driver reported that his LTi Printing Mustang was loose on corner entry and tight on exit. The first stage concluded on lap 30 with Cindric scoring a sixth-place finish. Crew chief Brian Wilson made the call to pit during the stage caution on lap 32 for four tires, fuel and adjustments. Mixed strategy between two tires and four tires shuffled Cindric back to ninth in the running order when the race restarted on lap 37. Cindric made his way back to the sixth position during the early laps of Stage 2 but slipped back to 10th – thanks to his No. 22 Mustang getting too tight He scored and 11th-place finish when the stage ended on lap 60. During the stage caution, Wilson called for four tires, fuel and more adjustments to improve the balance of the LTi Printing Ford. Cindric would line up 12th for the final stage when the race when green on lap 67. On lap 73, the fifth caution slowed the pace. Cindric pitted for fuel only during the yellow and restarted 11th when the race went green on lap 76. As Cindric was racing his way back inside the top-10, he suffered left-front damage when Tommy Joe Martins got loose and slid up the track into Cindric's path. The damage forced Cindric to pit during the sixth and final caution on lap 78 for four tires and repairs. He restarted 20th when the race went green on lap 81. Over the final 44 laps, Cindric wrestled his way into contention for a top-10 finish despite the No. 22 Mustang being "plowing tight" thanks to the cosmetic damage from the earlier incident. He overcame the handling difficulties to finish 11th, just outside the top-10. Copyright ©2008-2016 Penske Racing. All rights reserved |