AUSTIN CINDRIC BREAKDOWN
Cindric qualified eighth for the 100-lap, 200-mile race and the young driver had his hands full with a loose-handling Ford F-150 during Stage 1. He was running sixth at the completion of the first stage and pitted four tires and a major chassis adjustment under caution on lap 33. He restarted seventh when the race went green on lap 37, but once again was wrestling a truck that was too loose.
The third caution on lap 53 changed the complexion of the race for the No. 19 team. Crew chief Doug Randolph called his driver to pit road on lap 54 for four tires and another big chassis adjustment. The team also took the calculated gamble to go the remaining distance on fuel. Cindric stopped to top off his fuel tank on lap 55 for good measure, and he restarted in the 16th position one lap later. He had climbed up to 11th in the running order when Stage 2 ended on lap 60.
Cindric stayed on the track during the stage break caution while his rivals pitted and lined up second when Stage 3 began on lap 65. One lap later, he grabbed the lead just before the fifth and final caution slowed the race and erased any fuel concerns for Cindric.
He led the field to green on lap 73 and stayed up front until Bubba Wallace made what was the final pass for the lead on lap 90, a three-wide move at the entrance to Turn 3. With two laps to go, the driver of the Draw-Tite Ford F-150 made a bold move in an effort to win the race. Cindric dove under Wallace at the entrance to Turn 1, and the two were side-by-side down the backstretch when the other seven trucks in the lead pack lined up behind Wallace, leaving Cindric all alone in the bottom lane. Without any drafting help, Cindric’s chances to win faded, but the young driver squeezed back in line on the final lap to claim fifth-place at the checkered flag.
The Michigan race was Cindric’s strongest NASCAR Camping World Truck Series performance to date. He led once for 24 laps and spent the final 35 laps leading or jockeying for positions in the lead pack. Cindric scored his fifth consecutive top-10 finish and third top five of the season, plus claimed Sunoco Rookie of the Race honors in back-to-back races for the first time this season.
CHASE BRISCOE BREAKDOWN
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