NASCAR Cup Series Race Report - Auto Club SpeedwayFebruary 26, 2023Track: Auto Club Speedway Austin Cindric | No. 2 Menards/Quaker State Ford Mustang Start: 19th Race Rundown: Austin Cindric finished 28th in Sunday's Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway after an unfortunate mishap early in Stage 3. Cindric rolled off the grid 19th after qualifying was rained out and the starting lineup was set per the NASCAR rule book. The Menards/Quaker State Mustang remained around that position in the running order through Stage 1, finishing 23rd. Under the break, the No. 2 underwent a round of adjustments and restarted 20th for the beginning of Stage 2. Multiple cautions slowed the field, and Cindric muscled forward to finish the segment 16th. The 24-year-old driver revisited the No. 2 pit crew for service and returned in the 12th position for the final sprint. Shortly after, the Team Penske Ford Mustang suffered damage early in Stage 3 after getting into the wall. A timely caution flew soon after, and the crew went to work on repairs to the right-rear side of the car. Cindric powered through the remaining laps to finish 28th. Cindric's Thoughts: "We kind of bounced around inside the top 20 for a lot of the day. We had some good restarts and some bad restarts. I felt like we had worked to get the car in a good direction by Stage 3 and had a good restart, but we just got fenced. I got hit again and had a little too much damage to stay competitive for the rest of the race. It's a bit of a shame because I felt like we were trending in the right direction by the end of the race, but overall tough start to our first two races finishing outside the top 20. Hopefully we can go to Vegas and have a regular weekend and get some solid points."
Start: 9th Race Rundown: Ryan Blaney had a solid start to Sunday's Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway, wheeling his No. 12 Würth Ford Mustang to the front of the field within the first 30 laps after starting ninth. Blaney drove up into the top-five on lap 8, then following a four-tire stop during the competition caution, he took his first lead of the day on lap 29 using the inside line. After an another four-tire stop under caution on lap 43, Blaney made his way around Daniel Suárez with four laps remaining in the stage to secure a second-place finish in Stage 1.
Start: 3rd Race Rundown: Joey Logano and the No. 22 team brought a strong AAA SoCal Ford Mustang to Sunday's Pala Casino 400 at Auto Club Speedway, running in the top-10 for a majority of the afternoon. Logano took his first lead of the day on lap 27 following a four-tire stop and a round of adjustments during the competition caution. After a seventh-place finish in Stage 1, Logano regained the lead on lap 74 despite battling a tight-handling condition at the beginning of the stint. A long green-flag run ensued following a caution on lap 76 when Logano began to report a vibration in the front end of his Ford Mustang, yet he managed to secure a third-place finish to complete the stage.
Joey Logano and the No. 22 team will look to defend their Fall 2022 win at Las Vegas with another standout performance at the 1.5-mile oval. Back to previous page.Copyright ©2008-2016 Penske Racing. All rights reserved |